[The correlation among the Ramsay sedation scale, Richmond agitation sedation scale and Riker sedation agitation scale during midazolam-remifentanil sedation].

Background And Objectives: Sedative and analgesic treatment administered to critically ill patients need to be regularly assessed to ensure that previously stated goals are well achieved as the risk of complications of oversedation is minimized. We revised and prospectively tested the Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS) for interrater reliability and compared it with the Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale (RSAS) and the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) to test construct validity during midazolam-remifentanil sedation.

Methods: A convenience sample of ICU patients was simultaneously and independently examined by pairs of trained evaluators by using the revised RSAS, RSS, and RASS.