• Christopher Humphries, Anthony Kelly, Aws Sadik, Alison Walker, and Jason Smith.
• Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK chris.humphries@ed.ac.uk.
• Emerg Med J. 2023 Dec 22; 41 (1): 4124-12.

BackgroundAcute behavioural disturbance (ABD) is a term used in law enforcement and healthcare, but there is a lack of clarity regarding its meaning. Common language should be used across staff groups to support the identification, prioritisation and delivery of care to this group of patients. The terminology currently used is inconsistent and confusing. This study aimed to reach a consensus on the criteria for identification and management of ABD, and to agree when other care pathways or guidelines might be more appropriately used.MethodsA modified Delphi study with participation from stakeholder organisation representatives was conducted in January-April 2023 online. In round 1, statements were generated by participants in response to broad questions. Participants then rated their level of agreement with statements in subsequent rounds, with statements achieving a consensus removed for inclusion in the final derived consensus statement. Non-consensus statement responses were assessed for stability.ResultsOf 430 unique statements presented for rating, 266 achieved a consensus among 30 participants representing eight stakeholder organisations. A derived consensus statement was generated from these statements. The median group response to statements which failed to achieve a consensus was reliable (Krippendorff's alpha=0·67).ConclusionsThere is a consensus across stakeholder organisations that ABD is not a separate entity to agitation, and guidance should instead be altered to address the full range of presentations of agitation. While the features of concern in this severely agitated group of patients can be described, the advice for recognition may vary depending on staff group. Criteria for recognition are provided and potential new terminology is described.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.

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