Description
The Wessex Head Injury Matrix can be used to assess and monitor the recovery of cognitive function patients in various states of consciousness after suffering a severe head injury.
The Wessex Head Injury Matrix can be used to assess and monitor the recovery of cognitive function patients in various states of consciousness after suffering a severe head injury.
Author:
Agnes Shiel, Barbara A. Wilson, Lindsay McLellan, Sandra Horn, Martin Watson
Overview:Assess and monitor recovery of cognitive function after severe head injury
Age Range:16+ years
Forms:Observational matrix and tasks
Publication Date:2000
The Wessex Head Injury Matrix (WHIM) provides accurate assessment of patients in and emerging from coma and in the vegetative and minimally conscious states. The 62-item observational matrix can be used to assess the patient and set goals for rehabilitation from the outset of coma. Designed to pick up minute indices demonstrating recovery and provide objective evidence, the WHIM provides a sequential framework of tightly defined categories of observation covering:
- Communication ability
- Cognitive skills
- Social interaction
The matrix can be used to collect data by observation and by testing tasks used in everyday life. The WHIM is both easy and quick to administer and can be used by any qualified member of a multidisciplinary team.
