Functional Assessment Instrument Attributes
Description:
The Aggressive Behaviour Scale (ABS) is an indicator of the prevalence of aggressive behaviour in the population being assessed.
Author/Sponsor:
The ABS was developed by interRAI (a not-for-profit international research group with substantial experience in creating comprehensive assessment instruments for nursing homes, home care, acute care, assisted living, palliative care, and rehabilitation settings) to detect frailty and instability in health in a nursing home population. Because the items comprising the ABS are present across many interRAI instruments, the ABS may be used in many sectors, for assessment of individuals with a broad range of mental and physical health needs.
Prevalence:
As stated above, because the items comprising the ABS are present across many interRAI instruments, the ABS may be used in many sectors, for assessment of individuals with a broad range of mental and physical health needs. Specifically, the ABS is available for assessment of persons in the following sectors:
• Inpatient mental health
• Community mental health
• Long-term care
• Intellectual Disabilities
Population:
The ABS was designed for use where identification of aggressive behaviour is important.
Subject:
The ABS is completed by relevant members of the interdisciplinary team involved in the care of the person being assessed.
Provider Setting:
The ABS is calculated whenever an interRAI assessment containing the relevant items is completed.
Derived:
The ABS is based on 4 items embedded within many interRAI instruments, including the Resident Assessment Instrument for nursing homes (MDS 2.0), Mental Health (RAI-MH) and Community Mental Health (interRAI-CMH), and Intellectual Disabilities (interRAI-ID). The four items include:
• Verbal abuse
• Physical abuse
• Socially disruptive behaviour
• Resistance of care
Each of the above items can have a value of 0-3. The ABS is calculated by summing the values of the four component items, resulting in a score ranging from 0-12. A higher score indicates a higher level of aggressive behaviour. Scores of 1 to 4 indicate mild to moderate aggressive behaviour, whereas scores of 5 or more indicate more severe aggression.
Validity and Reliability Testing:
Is the methodology of the instrument open to peer review?
Specific vs Multiple Domain:
The ABS detects aggressive behaviour.
Verbal or Observation based:
The ABS is completed by relevant members of the interdisciplinary team involved in the care of the person being assessed, using all available resources, including the person’s medical record, direct observation, direct questioning, and the questioning of family and friends.
Are calculated scores included:
ABS scores range from 0 to 12.
Extended use:
Is the instrument being used outside the original target population?
Versions:
Sometimes the different versions have different # of questions.
Public Domain:
The ABS algorithm is in the public domain. The instruments that collect the ABS items are copyright interRAI who freely grant licences to jurisdictions.
References:
Hirdes JP, Fries BE, Rabinowitz T, Morris JN. Comprehensive Assessment of Persons with Bipolar Disorder in Long-Term Care Settings: The Potential of the interRAI Family of Instruments, in Bipolar Disorders in Late Life.
Martha Sajatovic and Frederic C. Blow, Editors. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, in press.
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