What is the scoring range of the RASS?

What is the scoring range of the RASS?

• A. -5 to +5 scale
• B. 0 to 4 scale
• C. 0 to 10 scale
• D. +4 to -5 scale

Answer: (D)

RASS measures agitation to sedation on a finite 10-point scale. The lowest score is -5, meaning unarousable, and the highest is +4, meaning combative. This gives the range from -5 up to +4 (i.e., -5 to +4). The option listing +4 to -5 describes the same endpoints, just in reverse order, so it matches the valid range. The other choices don’t fit: -5 to +5 would imply a +5 state that doesn’t exist; 0 to 4 excludes sedation levels; 0 to 10 is not a RASS range. In practice, clinicians aim for light sedation, around 0 to -2.

RASS measures agitation to sedation on a finite 10-point scale. The lowest score is -5, meaning unarousable, and the highest is +4, meaning combative. This gives the range from -5 up to +4 (i.e., -5 to +4). The option listing +4 to -5 describes the same endpoints, just in reverse order, so it matches the valid range. The other choices don’t fit: -5 to +5 would imply a +5 state that doesn’t exist; 0 to 4 excludes sedation levels; 0 to 10 is not a RASS range. In practice, clinicians aim for light sedation, around 0 to -2.