Caring for Coma after Severe Brain Injury: Clinical Practices and Challenges to Improve Outcomes: An Initiative by the Curing Coma Campaign.

Severe brain injury can result in disorders of consciousness (DoC), including coma, vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, and minimally conscious state. Improved emergency and trauma medicine response, in addition to expanding efforts to prevent premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, has led to an increased number of patients with prolonged DoC. High-quality bedside care of patients with DoC is key to improving long-term functional outcomes.

Education, Training, and Support Across the Continuum of Recovery for Caregivers of Persons with Disorders of Consciousness.

Evolving knowledge highlights the deleterious effects of caregiving on the emotional, psychosocial, and financial well-being of caregivers of persons with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Current practice guidelines and minimal competency recommendations emphasize the importance of identifying and addressing DoC caregiver needs. This article serves as a dissemination tool to enhance communication between providers and caregivers.

Clinical application of recommendations for neurobehavioral assessment in disorders of consciousness: an interdisciplinary approach.

Accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and subsequent rehabilitation care planning for persons with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) has historically posed a challenge for neurological care professionals. Evidence suggests rates of misdiagnosis may be as high as 40% when informal beside evaluations are used to determine level of consciousness. The presence of myriad medical, neurological, functional (motor, sensory, cognitive) and environmental confounds germane to these conditions complicates behavioral assessment.