The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (FKZ 01KG2208).

Severe agitation and aggression are common medical emergencies in general and psychiatric emergency departments. Guidelines recommend de-escalation and oral medication as first-line interventions. However, these strategies are unsuccessful in a substantial number of patients. Therefore, intramuscular or intravenous administration of medication is necessary for many patients in order to prevent harm to patients themselves, healthcare personnel, others or property. Various antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, or antihistamines are available, but treatment choice is often based on personal experience or local hospital trends instead of scientific evidence. However, available drugs differ importantly in terms of their side effects and possibly their efficacy. In addition, it is unclear whether intravenous administration offers a relevant time advantage over intramuscular administration and which dosages are required. To answer these questions, we will carry out a meta-analysis using individual patient data from relevant clinical studies.

Contact person: Dr. Spyridon Siafis, contact: spyridon.siafis@tum.de

Supervisor: Prof. Stefan Leucht