The Use of the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions in Assessing Disorientation After Traumatic Brain Injury
By Borgaro, Susan R., PhD; Kwasnica, Christina, MD; Cutter, Nancy, MD; Alcott, Sally, MD; Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 284-291Publication Date: May/June 2003
Study conducted to examine the use of the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNIS) in assessing disorientation in clients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the acute phases of rehabilitation. The BNIS is a brief screening measure that was developed for acute and post-acute clients with neurological disabilities that has not been evaluated for people with TBI. The measure contains items that assess clients’ orientation to time and place, and it provides an index of overall cognitive impairment. A total of 65 people with TBI participated in the study, as their BNIS scores were compared with that of 18 people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and 35 controls. The results indicated that the participants with TBI demonstrated a significantly higher proportion of incorrect responses in terms of time and place when compared with the participants with SCI and the control groups. The participants with TBI did demonstrate greater accuracy on orientation to place when compared with orientation to time, while date and month produced the lowest rate of accuracy in all three groups. The authors ultimately conclude that the BNIS is a sensitive measure of disorientation among people with TBI. Implications for future research are discussed.
Published by: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins (Website:http://www.lww.com)
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J47427
