Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Cognition In Clients With Acute Tetraplegia: Why Assessment Matters, Olivia Allen, Michael Dewilde, Jon-Erik Golob

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Capstone Projects (2016-2021)

The authors of this research project collaborated with Sarah Bicker, OTR/L, an acute care therapist working at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA to investigate two clinical questions: [1] “What is the correlation between high-level (C1-C7) spinal cord injury (SCI) and cognitive impairment?” [2] “Which assessments are most effective for evaluating cognition in adult clients who have very limited motor and/or verbal abilities and could potentially be used with clients who have acute high-level spinal cord injuries?” A review of the research revealed that common comorbidities, including orthostatic hypotension, sleep apnea, and traumatic brain injury, often affect cognition in clients …