Disorders of Consciousness: Assessment Best Practices
Presented by Kristen Keech and Jessica Asiello
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Nonfinancial: Kristen Keech has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Financial: Jessica Asiello receives compensation from MedBridge for the production of this course. She’s also an employee of MGH Institute of Health Professions and Massachusetts General Hospital, an advisor for ScribePT, and a contractor for the American Occupational Therapy Association. She has no other relevant financial relationships.
Nonfinancial: Jessica Asiello is an associate reviewer for the Journal of Acute Care Occupational Therapy.
Despite the availability of interprofessional practice guidelines emphasizing the importance of serial neurobehavioral assessment in disorders of consciousness (DoC), current implementation in practice is limited and lacks consistency. As a result, people with DoC may be misdiagnosed or given overly pessimistic prognoses for functional recovery that can result in misinformed caregiver decisions around goals of care and missed opportunities for post-acute rehabilitation. In this course, discover the best evidence-based practices for serial neurobehavioral assessment in DoC, and translate assessment results with clear and accurate language to improve documentation, interprofessional collaboration, and patient and caregiver education. This course is applicable for all members of the interprofessional team, especially nursing and allied health professionals, across the continuum of acute and post-acute care settings.
Learning Objectives
- Examine why serial neurobehavioral assessment by the interprofessional team is the best-practice, evidence-based guideline for evaluation of people with disorders of consciousness (DoC)
- Determine at least three techniques used to facilitate arousal prior to beginning neurobehavioral examination
- Analyze the pros and cons of at least three specific evidence-based tools and protocols for serial neurobehavioral assessment
- Plan how to accurately document environmental and manual techniques used during assessment and patient responses
- Implement best practices for translating patient responses on assessments into clear and accurate communications with interprofessional team members, patients, and caregivers
Meet your instructors
Kristen Keech
Kristen Keech is an occupational therapist working in the acute care setting at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She evaluates, treats, and advocates for individuals hospitalized for various medical and traumatic-related injuries, alongside the interprofessional team, beginning in the intensive care…
Jessica Asiello
Jessica Asiello is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the MGH Institute for Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts. She primarily teaches in the online postprofessional OTD program. Her clinical practice is in acute care at…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Best Practices for Serial Neurobehavioral Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (DoC)
In this chapter, understand why serial neurobehavioral assessment by the interprofessional team is the evidence-based recommendation for evaluation of people with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Identify specific environmental conditions, manual techniques, and multisensory stimulation strategies to facilitate arousal prior to beginning neurobehavioral examination. This information is critical to ensuring your patient’s performance is optimized for informing their prognosis and plan of care.
2. Evidence-Based Assessment Tools in Disorders of Consciousness (DoC)
In this chapter, learn best practices for evaluation of persons with disorders of consciousness, including guiding principles and the pros and cons of specific evidence-based tools for serial neurobehavioral assessment. This information is critical to ensuring your patient’s performance is optimized for informing their prognosis and plan of care.
3. Applying Assessment Results to Interprofessional Communications and Patient/Caregiver Education
In this chapter, learn how to accurately document environmental and manual techniques used during assessment and patients’ neurobehavioral responses. Discover best practices for translating assessment results into clear and accurate communications with interprofessional team members, patients, and caregivers. This information is critical to ensuring interprofessional collaboration to optimize patient care and discharge plans.
