Agitation in people with dementia: A concept analysis.

Aim: This article aims to clarify the concept of agitation in people with dementia (PWD) by identifying its attributes, antecedents, and consequences to propose an operational definition of the concept.

Background: Agitation is a recurrent behavior problem for many people with and without dementia, which results in psychosocial distress. The current literature lacks the conceptual clarity of agitation, which limits its effective nursing management.

Data Sources: Several databases search was utilized that comprise computer searches of PsycINFO, MEDLINE (PubMed), the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health of data between the years 1970 and 2013.

Design: Concept analysis.

Review Methods: Rodgers' Evolutionary Method of concept analysis (2000) was employed as a guide for analyzing the agitation concept.

Results: Four main attributes were used to describe and propose a definition of agitation in PWD: disruptive behaviors, repetitiveness, inappropriateness, and aggression.

Conclusion: This analysis provides an operational definition that will improve knowledge of investigating relevant issues to agitation, which can be used by nurses and family caregivers when managing and preventing agitation in PWD.