All skilled nursing facilities (SNF) in the state of Connecticut were
surveyed to determine the number of residents with a primary diagnosis
of brain injury, the incidence of agitation among these residents, an
d management strategies utilized for agitation in these residents, inc
luding consultation with brain injury specialists. One hundred and six
ty-two, or 64%, of the SNF responded to the survey, and reported on 14
0 individuals with a primary diagnosis of brain injury. These individu
als were residing in 39, or 24%, of the 162 facilities. Forty-five per
cent of these 39 facilities had brain-injured residents who met the d
efinition of agitation presented in the survey. Management of agitatio
n was equally distributed between environmental manipulation, formal b
ehaviour care plans and medications. The availability of specialist co
nsultation was variable and included physiatrists (38%), psychiatrists
(67%), neurologists (41%), and psychologists (36%). This survey study
defined the prevalence of brain-injured residents in Connecticut's SN
F, and examined management strategies for agitation in this patient po
pulation.