Open Lecture – SMART- an investigative assessment creating a comprehensive PROFILE for the PDOC patient

The SMART (Sensory Modality & Rehabilitation Technique) is a standardised investigative and assessment tool specially designed for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDoC) and recommended in the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) national clinical guidelines (2020).

Join us for an open lecture on how the technique was developed and how it is applied. Unlike other PDOC assessments, SMART provides a measurable outcome intervention and/or management plan with a coordinated team and family approach making the tool popular with lawyers and case managers and community teams who are responsible for providing focused and cost-effective programmes for the patients in the future.

The assessment of PDOC patient has been described as “detective work at its best”. As in any serious detective investigation it is essential to have a consistent and experienced investigator, layering evidence and building up a picture of the patients’ responses over time. This detective must also conduct an in-depth assessment, asking anyone involved, such as family and team members, to describe what they have seen and carefully assessing reported responses in context. No longer should a simple assessment tool conducted by different individuals be sufficient to reach an accurate diagnosis.

Presenters: Helen Gill-Thwaites MBE and Dr Karen Elliott

View the lecture here

For more information, please call 020 8780 4500 ext 5140 or email institute@rhn.org.uk.