Effectiveness of the Multi-Modal Sensory Stimulation on the Level of Consciousness Among Unconscious Patients

Introduction One of the most life-threatening consequences associated with cerebral haemorrhage or trauma is an acute or severe brain injury. A patient’s long-term cognitive, behavioural, and emotional impairment worsens the longer they are in a coma, making it impossible for them to resume an activity. Multimodal sensory stimulation involves increasing arousal, awareness, and behavioural responses in each sense’s physiology. Exposure to sensory stimulation promotes dendrite growth, improves cognitive functioning, and social interaction. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of multimodal sensory stimulation on the level of consciousness among unconscious patients. Material and Methods A double-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted on 40 unconscious patients with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores of 3-8 and diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs). The patients were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups from the Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The experimental group was given sensory stimulation twice daily for seven consecutive days, with each session lasting 25 minutes. By contrast, the control group only received routine care. Data was collected via demographic and clinical proforma, and level of consciousness was measured by GCS and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). Results There was a significant increase in the post-test scores of GCS and CRS-R (p<0.001) level of consciousness among unconscious patients in the experimental group. Conclusion Nurses can use this intervention in the ICU as it has been found to be workable, non-invasive, non-pharmacologic, and cost-effective.