A review of behavioural assessment scales for monitoring recovery in and after coma with pilot data on a new scale of visual awareness

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Abstract
The monitoring of behavioural events during and after coma is important in determining the nature and pace of recovery, in detecting early signs of deterioration, in the evaluation of coma stimulation and other rehabilitation programmes, and in identifying the persistent vegetative state. There are a number of difficulties in constructing objective, reliable, valid measures of significant behavioural events which are also easy to administer by the bedside. This paper reviews the many behavioural scales which have been developed in the search for quantifiable data on recovery, and presents some pilot data on a new scale of visual awareness.