The Minimum Data Set Agitated and Reactive Behavior Scale: Measuring Behaviors in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia.

The scale was tested at one time point, so it does not show whether it can detect changes over time or measure the effect of an intervention. The four items had internal consistency of .71 for new admissions and .65 for long-stay residents, and the authors describe the scale as borderline adequate. The MDS-based scale likely under-detects behaviors; the authors note that prior literature reports 48 to 82 percent of residents with dementia showing agitated or aggressive behaviors. The scale has only four items, and staff-reported MDS data can miss behaviors when staff normalize them or do not know the resident well. The dementia sample included residents classified as cognitively intact by the CFS (20% of new admissions and 14% of long-stay residents).

The supplied text does not include an author conflict-of-interest or funding declaration. The publication types note NIH extramural support.

Do not treat a zero ARBS score as proof that a resident has no agitated or reactive behaviors. The authors state that the scale likely under-detects behaviors, and this study did not test whether the score changes over time.