SMART – a tool for assessing patients with disorders of consciousness

Accurate assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness is still a great medical challenge. Despite a recent implementation of state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques (EEG, fMRI, PET and others), proper diagnosis is still seriously hindered. The lack of accurate diagnosis results in the fact that patients’ capacities and full potential are not used. This aspect is particularly important in terms of communicating with patients. The effort of interdisciplinary teams ought to be channelled into creating and developing a complex diagnostic tool. It would aim at providing complete information regarding patients’ state and facilitating possible communication with them. Therefore, according to a number of research teams, it is necessary to make use of behavioural scales such as SMART (Sensory Modality Assessment and Rehabilitation Technique) that are based on observational criteria.