For many patients, it takes time to regain full consciousness after a brain injury, and some develop a disorder of consciousness (DOC). UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Assistant Professor Rachel Teranishi, M.D., a brain injury specialist, explains in this UAB MedCast why up to 40% of DOC cases are misdiagnosed and outlines what providers need to know about assessment, treatment, and long-term recovery.

Disorders of consciousness are neurological conditions that involve impaired levels of impaired consciousness due to brain injury. Consciousness can be defined as being both awake and aware. So, a DOC patient has some problem in one or both. DOC patients include those in a coma, a vegetative state, also known as an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome or UWS or a minimally conscious state, sometimes called MCS. Different types of neurological disorders may cause DOC, such as non-traumatic injury like stroke or anoxic brain injury.

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Listen to Dr. Teranishi’s MedCast session - “What Are Disorders of Consciousness and Why Do They Matter?”