Natural language processing diagnosed behavioural disturbance phenotypes in the intensive care unit: characteristics, prevalence, trajectory, treatment, and outcomes

BACKGROUND: Natural language processing (NLP) may help evaluate the characteristics, prevalence, trajectory, treatment, and outcomes of behavioural disturbance phenotypes in critically ill patients. METHODS: We obtained electronic clinical notes, demographic information, outcomes, and treatment data from three medical-surgical ICUs. Using NLP, we screened for behavioural disturbance phenotypes based on words suggestive of an agitated state, a non-agitated state, or a combination of both. RESULTS: We studied 2931 patients. Of these, 225 (7.7%) were NLP-Dx-BD positive for the agitated phenotype, 544 (18.6%) for the non-agitated phenotype and 667 (22.7%) for the combined phenotype. Patients with these phenotypes carried multiple clinical baseline differences. On time-dependent multivariable analysis to compensate for immortal time bias and after adjustment for key outcome predictors, agitated phenotype patients were more likely to receive antipsychotic medications (odds ratio [OR] 1.84, 1.35–2.51, p < 0.001) compared to non-agitated phenotype patients but not compared to combined phenotype patients (OR 1.27, 0.86–1.89, p = 0.229). Moreover, agitated phenotype patients were more likely to die than other phenotypes patients (OR 1.57, 1.10–2.25, p = 0.012 vs non-agitated phenotype; OR 4.61, 2.14–9.90, p < 0.001 vs. combined phenotype). This association was strongest in patients receiving mechanical ventilation when compared with the combined phenotype (OR 7.03, 2.07–23.79, p = 0.002). A similar increased risk was also seen for patients with the non-agitated phenotype compared with the combined phenotype (OR 6.10, 1.80–20.64, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: NLP-Dx-BD screening enabled identification of three behavioural disturbance phenotypes with different characteristics, prevalence, trajectory, treatment, and outcome. Such phenotype identification appears relevant to prognostication and trial design. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13054-023-04695-0.