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1629 - Multisensory Stimulation Group Therapy For Patients with Brain Injury: A Research Protocol

Thursday, February 27, 2025

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST

Presenting Author(s)

EP

Esha Patel, DO

Resident Physician
Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute
Edison, New Jersey, United States

Co-Author(s)

KH

Kristen A. Harris, MD

Attending Physician
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute
Edison, New Jersey, United States
AF

Arielle Fallon, MS

Clinical Consultant Occupational Therapist
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute
Middlesex, New Jersey, United States

Objectives: Acquired brain injuries can lead to disorders of consciousness (DoC) categorized into coma, vegetative state, or minimally conscious state. Standard of care includes a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program for assessment and promotion of consciousness. Sensory stimulation of the auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory systems has been proposed to promote patient’s interaction with the environment. A study conducted by Doman utilized multiple sensory stimulation on 200 individuals in a coma with 91% of patients in the treatment group advancing in DoC versus none in the control group. This research protocol aims to determine feasibility, patient tolerance, and effectiveness of a multi-sensory stimulation group in the skilled nursing facility setting, where many DoC patients do not have access to intensive skilled therapies.

Design: DoC patients between 18 to 99 years of age demonstrating emerging attention, awareness and cognitive skills will be recruited from a skilled nursing facility. The protocol will be conducted in a group of no more than 10 patients facilitated by a speech and occupational therapist. Three 30 minute sessions a week will be conducted for 12 weeks. Patients will be provided multi-sensory experiences and activities with incorporation of animal assisted therapy, music therapy, and meditation or progressive muscle relaxation.

Results: Effectiveness will be measured by the Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRS-R) conducted weekly. Behavioral responses such as increased restlessness will be documented to determine continued participation. Vitals will be recorded prior to and at the end of the session to ensure medical tolerance.

Conclusions: Previous studies have shown differentiated sensory stimulation affects the reticular activating system to promote awareness and arousal. This protocol aims to develop a standardized protocol that can be implemented in the skilled nursing facility setting to promote therapeutic interventions in DoC patients. Behavioral and medical tolerance will be analyzed to determine feasibility of the protocol.