Don't Forget About Verbal De-escalation!
Before doing any kind of pharmacological intervention for agitation, always think about non-pharmacological ways to de-escalate the situation. In any Code White situation, understand that a patient is usually feeling threatened or scared, often due to their psychiatric symptoms or the stressful environment that they are in. In these cases, it is helpful to consider triggers that may be leading to these behaviours. For example, is there some way to bring the patient to a calmer environment and avoid the need for medications?
If security or additional staff are called to a Code White, it is important to outline to an agitated patient why there are additional people. If the patient doesn't understand why so many people are near them, this may worsen agitation or cause fear! Reassure the patient. For example, it can be helpful to tell the patient: “You may be wondering why there are security guards here. We work as a team and the staff are here for everyone's safety, including yours.”