Abstract |
Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced hospitals to adopt tighter restrictions, the most impacting is no access to visitors. Disorder of consciousness (DOC) due to severe acquired brain injury is a condition needing neurorehabilitation and the role of relatives is essential, hence besides physical "disconnection" digital "re-connection" is crucial. We aimed to assess whether digital communication benefits in patients with DOC, considering the sensorial and emotional deprivation due to the COVID-19 emergency lock-down.Methods: For eleven consecutive patients with DOC admitted to our Intensive Neurorehabilitation Care (mean age: 45; females: 9), two observers registered neurobehavioral changes during a video-calls with their relatives. Heart-rate variability was measured before and during the calls. The video-call was performed by using two displays of different sizes: tablet (T-video-call) and large screen (LS-Video-call).Results: The video-calls impacted on the patients' vigilance and in the relationship with relatives. Moreover, positively impacted on their relatives. The current results showed significant greater impact on patients during the LS-video-call than when they are exposed to T-video-call.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, besides the physical disconnection to stop the contagion spread, a "digital re-connection" is needed for all and especially for fragile population groups as patients with DOC.
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Authors | Luca Padua, Giulia Fredda, Daniele Coraci, Giuseppe Reale, Davide Glorioso, Claudia Loreti, Cristiano Pecchioli, Roberto Bernabei |
Journal | Brain injury
(Brain Inj)
Vol. 35
Issue 10
Pg. 1134-1142
(08 24 2021)
ISSN: 1362-301X [Electronic] England |
PMID | 34495807
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Topics |
- COVID-19
- Communicable Disease Control
- Consciousness
- Consciousness Disorders
(etiology)
- Female
- Heart Rate
- Hospitals
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Pandemics
- SARS-CoV-2
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