Case study of the relation between census reduction and injuries to residents in an ICF/MR

We compared the frequency and severity of injuries of adults living in an ICF/MR for one year before and one year after the census of their cottage was reduced from 28 to 19. These residents had severe or profound mental retardation, few sensory deficits, and limited communication skills; most had severe behavior problems. Results showed a decrease from 23.3 to 13.3 injuries per person for the 18 men who resided in the building after census reduction. A larger decrease in injuries requiring versus not requiring medical attention (71.7% vs. 38.9%) was also found. A control group of 18 similar male residents showed only a slight decrease (16.9 vs. 16.2) in injury reports over the same time period. Results suggest that a lower census was clearly related to reduced number of injuries.