Disorders of Consciousness Task Force

MISSION

To advance scientific knowledge, develop standards of practice, and advocate for the appropriate care of persons with disordered consciousness. Projects developed fall under the umbrellas of clinical, research, advocacy, and education about this patient group.

JOIN THE TASK FORCE

Thank you for being a part of the BI-ISIG Disorders of Consciousness Task Force! We love that the ACRM attracts the most passionate interdisciplinary mix of rehabilitation pros from around the world. What an honor to collaborate with such driven individuals. We hope to meet with you at our upcoming networking group meeting to discuss current projects and opportunities for contribution and collaboration.

ACRM BI-ISIG Disorders of Consciousness Task Force Meeting

Join us to discuss the 2025 ACRM Annual Conference, Task Force updates, and new projects. We welcome your participation.

Save the date!

DATE: The First Tuesday of Each Month
TIME: 12:00pm ET 

Meeting ID: 825 5359 2097
Passcode: 679251

We hope to see you there!

CO-CHAIRS

PAST CHAIR

COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

NIDILRR, the VA TBI Model System DOC Special Interest Group members, and the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) collaborate on task force projects and monthly telephone calls.

2024 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Education/Dissemination

1. BrainLine Family Education website, The Disorders of Consciousness Hub, is LIVE: https://www.brainline.org/dchub

* Updates in progress

Ongoing Projects

1. Post-traumatic Confusional State (PTCS) Pathophysiology Scoping Review: Manuscript Preparation
2. Projects leveraging TBI Model Systems Database
   1. Discharge disposition and outcome – data analysis
   2. DoC patient-reported outcomes – data analysis
   3. DRS Rasch analysis – pending

Ongoing Collaborations

1. American College of Surgeons TBI Best Practice Guidelines 2 New Trauma Standards on Rehabilitation – published: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/quality/verification-review-and-consultation-program/standards/
2. American College of Surgeons TQIP TBI Best Practice Guidelines for TBI – pending release in 2024
3. Curing Coma Campaign
   1. DoC Common Data Elements complete and published
   2. COMPOSE study ongoing
   3. Care of Coma Patient – gap analysis

Select Publications

1. Samuel B. Snider, Hansen Deng, Flora M. Hammond, Robert G. Kowalski, William C. Walker, Ross D. Zafonte, David O. Okonkwo, Joseph T. Giacino, Ava M. Puccio, Yelena G. Bodien. Quantifying the relationship between time to command-following and outcomes after TBI: the “1%” rule. Under Review
2. Weaver JA, Cogan AM, Kozlowski AJ, Grady-Dominguez P, O’Brien KA, Bodien YG, Graham J, Aichele S, Ford P, Kot T, Bender Pape TL, Mallinson T, Giacino JT. Interpreting Change in Disorders of Consciousness Using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. J Neurotrauma. 2024 Aug;41(15-16):e1996-e2008. doi: 10.1089/neu.2023.0567. PMC11386986.

   1. 7+ ACRM Annual Meeting presentations

   2. 2 ACRM BI-ISIG Travel Scholarships

   3. 1 BI-ISIG Grant

PUBLICATIONS

Snider S, Kowalski R, Hammond F, Izzy Saef, Shih S, Rovito C, Edlow BL, Zafonte R, Giacino JT, Bodien YB. Comparison of common outcome measures for assessing independence in patients diagnosed with disorders of consciousness: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems study. J Neurotrauma. 2022; PMCID pending. In Press

Golden K, Erler KS, Wong J, Giacino JT, Bodien YG. Should consistent command-following be added to the criteria for emergence from the minimally conscious state? Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022 Apr 6:S0003-9993(22)00294-5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2022.03.010.

Weaver JA, Cogan A, O’Brien K, Hansen P, Giacino J, Whyte J, Bender Pape T, van der Wees P, Mallinson T. Determining the Hierarchy of Coma Recovery Scale-Revised Rating Scale Categories and Alignment with Aspen Consensus Criteria for Patients with Brain Injury: A Rasch Analysis. J Neurotrauma. 2022

MSKTC Fact Sheet

Consumer Translation of the DoC Minimum Competency Recommendations (in progress)

The Facts About the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States After Severe Brain Injury MSKTC Fact Sheet was updated in 2020 by John Whyte, MD, David Glazer, MD, Thomas Watanabe, MD, Joseph Giacino, PhD, and Amy Rosenbaum, PhD, in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research MSKTC.

An MSKTC Fact Sheet was developed by ACRM and TBIMS joint DOC members (led by Dr. Amy Rosenbaum) and is now available online (Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: What to Expect in the Trauma Center, Hospital, and Beyond).

An MSKTC Fact Sheet was developed by ACRM and TBIMS joint DOC members on Understanding Behavior Changes After TBI and is now available online (Understanding Behavior Changes after TBI | Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)).