Terapia Ocupacional en el estado vegetativo y de mínima conciencia: estimulación sensorial Occupational Therapy in vegetative and minimally conscious states: sensory stimulation

The main objective in this study has been to register the changes in the responses obtained from patients with severe traumatic brain injured treated by sensory stimulation, to evaluate the sensitivity to change to various assessments used [The Rancho Los Amigos Level of Cognitive Function (RLA), Disability Rating Scale (DRS), and The Coma/Near Coma Scale (CNCS)] and to observe if it is possible to establish a prognosis with these assessments. A quasi-experimental design was used with pre- and post- measures in an unique group of 13 patients. The assessments were used before, during (every 15 days) and after the period of data collection (17 weeks). The treatment consisted of daily sessions (30 minutes) of sensory stimulation by an occupational therapist. Results: The three assessments were useful for the evaluation of these types of patients. However, the CNCS was the most sensitive in the improvement percentage and it gave more information about possible prognosis during the study.