A cohort study of accidents occurring in mentally handicapped patients living in institutions.

Background: Mentally handicapped patients who require extensive and generalised care and are resident in mental health institutions have certain characteristics that could mean that they suffer certain types of accidents. The aim of this study was to determine the number and type of accident-related injuries in this population in order to design appropriate preventative strategies.

Methods: Accident-related injuries in patients resident in six institutions in the north of Spain were recorded prospectively over a period of 21 months.