Brain Injury Care

Brain Injury Services (BIS) at Bethesda Hospital reintegrates people with traumatic and acquired brain injury into the community.

Patients are cared for by interdisciplinary teams of professionals. The BIS team first assesses cognitive, behavioral and physical needs, then develops an individualized treatment plan, incorporating behavioral management into the overall rehabilitation program.

Neurobehavioral crisis and assessment

For patients who exhibit severe behavioral problems as a result of acquired or traumatic brain injury, or need a brief assessment and meet acute psychiatric admission criteria.

Brain injury rehabilitation (BIR)

Patients admitted to BIR require intense rehabilitation in an acute care setting. They may be coping with cognitive and physical disabilities stemming from a stroke, acquired or traumatic brain injury, or a non-degenerative neurological disorder.

Neurobehavioral brain injury (NBI)

This program is designed for patients who have severe behavioral and emotional problems as a result of brain injury, which interferes with their daily functioning, preventing successful reintegration into the community.

Patients' behaviors interfere with progress in traditional rehabilitation programs. The program is designed to allow for relatively lengthy hospitalizations.

Admission criteria

To be admitted to a BIS program, a patient must be:

• 18 years or older and able to benefit from an adult environment.
• Diagnosed with a traumatic or acquired brain injury for the NBI or BIR program.
• Diagnosed with a traumatic or acquired brain injury or have a major diagnosis of developmental disability for the NCA program.

When a patient is referred to the program, an RN admission coordinator will conduct an assessment and screening. This includes a clinical history, review of therapeutic interventions to date, and recommendations for admission and further evaluation/treatment. The clinical team reviews the information and makes a final recommendation.

For more information

Learn more about the programs above at BethesdaHospital.org.