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Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Disorders of Consciousness Rehabilitation: Ethical Dimensions and Epistemic Dilemmas
1Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Abstract:
Patients with disorders of consciousness who survive to discharge following severe acute brain injury may face profoundly complex medical, ethical, and psychosocial challenges during their courses of recovery and rehabilitation. Although issues encountered in caring for such patients during acute hospitalization have received substantial attention, ethical challenges that may arise in subacute and chronic phases have been underexplored. Shedding light on these issues, this article explores the landscape of normative issues in the course of treating and facilitating access to care for persons with disorders of consciousness during rehabilitation and examines potential implications for patients, clinicians, family members, and society.
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