Which statement best describes a RASS score of +2?

• A. Agitated, mild agitation but not yet aggressive
• B. Restless, anxious, apprehensive but not yet agitated
• C. Combative, violent, immediate danger to self or others
• D. Alert and calm

Answer: (A)

RASS measures agitation and sedation on a scale from -5 to +4, with positive numbers indicating increasing agitation. A score of +2 means mild agitation: the patient is agitated and showing noticeable restlessness or increased activity, but not aggressive or violent toward others. This is more intense than simple restlessness or anxiety (which aligns with +1) and far below levels that involve combativeness or danger (which would be higher than +2). So describing it as mild agitation, not yet aggressive, best fits +2. The other descriptions map to different levels: alert and calm is 0, combative/violent reflects much higher agitation, and restlessness/anxiety without true agitation corresponds to +1.