New Book Illuminates the Importance of Recognizing Consciousness in Patients with Severe Brain Injury and Why It Matters

October 20, 2015

(Cornell) – Through interviews with 53 families of people with brain injuries identified as in a minimally conscious state — or having partial conscious responsiveness or awareness to the world around them — Dr. Fins reveals that patients are often incorrectly categorized as in a vegetative state — or having an absence of responsiveness or awareness. In fact, Dr. Fins said up to 40 percent of patients with traumatic brain injury in nursing homes diagnosed as vegetative are actually minimally conscious. As a result, care options for these patients lessen, and society, he said, tends to neglect them.