The prevalence of agitation and brain injury in skilled nursing facilities: a survey

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, and management strategies utilized for agitation in these residents, including consultation with brain injury specialists. One hundred and sixty-two, or 64%, of the SNF responded to the survey, and reported on 140 individuals with a primary diagnosis of brain injury. These individuals were residing in 39, or 24%, of the 162 facilities. Forty-five percent of these 39 facilities had brain-injured residents who met the definition of agitation presented in the survey. Management of agitation was equally distributed between environmental manipulation, formal behaviour care plans and medications. The availability of specialist consultation 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 SNF, and examined management strategies for agitation in this patient population.