Caregiver-mediated Vellore intense Multimodal Sensory Stimulation (Vi-MuSt) for improving the level of consciousness in patients with severe brain injury: A Single-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Multi-modal sensory stimulation is considered as a treatment method to reduce the risk of sensory deprivation and facilitate brain recovery responses in patients with a decreased level of consciousness following brain injury. Multi-modal sensory stimulation programs in the early stages after brain injury can be very useful for the recovery process. Involving the family members in sensory stimulation, besides providing them with the opportunity to get engaged in patient care, accelerates the improvement of patients’ level of consciousness, cognitive status, and recovery. Caregiver-mediated Multi-modal sensory stimulation will be beneficial for the patients with severe brain injury because they spend the most of their time in a day with patients’.

The caregivers of persons with brain injury in the Vi-MuSt group will be educated and trained by the Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapists on how to carry out the stimulation program during the therapy and at their rooms. Each stimulation session can last from 20 to 30 minutes for five times a day between 6 am to 9 pm and 6 days a week. The usual care group will receive regular intervention provided by the therapists during the therapy hours along with the involvement of caregivers. The primary outcome measures used will be JFK Coma recovery scale- Revised (CRS-R) and Wessex Head Injury Matrix (WHIM) and Secondary Outcome measure used will be Disability Rating Scale (DRS). Pre-assessment will be done in the first week after the allocation to the group and Post assessment after 4 weeks following the pre-assessment in both the groups.