 |
|
The Minimally Conscious StateA Diagnosis in Search of an Epidemiology
Joseph J. Fins, MD;
Maria G. Master, JD;
Linda M. Gerber, PhD;
Joseph T. Giacino, PhD
Arch Neurol. 2007;64(10):1400-1405.
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
INTRODUCTION
Limited epidemiologic data undermine the identification of patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and needed health policy analysis. Based on the natural history of disorders of consciousness and the evolution of MCS, we propose 2 models to characterize MCS epidemiology: a severity model to integrate diagnostic and severity of injury codes, such as the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, and a venue model to track patient migration after hospital discharge through the acute, rehabilitative, and chronic care systems. We applied these analytics retrospectively to a New York State registry and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 14-state study of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Extrapolations of national MCS incidence and prevalence depend on the severity marker used (GOS score vs GCS score); registry studied; discharge patterns; . . . [Full Text of this Article]
DISTINGUISHING MCS FROM VS
AN ELUSIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY
MODELS
Severity Model Venue Model
MODELED ANALYSIS
Estimated Annual Incident Cases of MCS: Severity Model Venue Model
ESTIMATED TOTAL INCIDENT CASES
COMMENT
CONCLUSIONS
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Author Affiliations: Divisions of Medical Ethics (Dr Fins) and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Dr Gerber), The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University (Ms Master), New York, NY; and JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, Edison, NJ (Dr Giacino).
|
