Effectiveness of auditory sensory stimulation on level of consciousness and cognitive function in traumatic brain injury patients: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Background & Aim: Coma is one of the severe complications of traumatic brain injury. The study aimed to determine the effect of auditory sensory stimulation on the level of consciousness and cognitive function of patients with traumatic brain injury. Methods & Materials: This study is a triple-blind randomized controlled clinical trial on 60 patients with traumatic brain injury selected using consecutive sampling. They were then randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The patients in the intervention group received auditory sensory stimulation (twice a day for 15 minutes), while those in the control group only received the routine sounds of the ward (through headphones) for six days. The data were measured using the Glasgow Coma Scale and the Rancho Los Amigos Scale daily. SPSS software version 22 and descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results: According to the independent samples t-test, there was a significant increase in the level of consciousness on the third, fifth, and sixth days after the intervention among the patients in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=0.001). The findings of two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that auditory sensory stimulation could lead to a statistically significant improvement in the cognitive function of patients in the intervention group compared to the control group (P= 0.003). Conclusion: Because of the improvement of the level of consciousness and cognitive function resulting from auditory sensory stimulation, this method is recommended to improve consciousness and cognitive function in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Keywords

• auditory stimulation; cognitive function; level of consciousness; traumatic brain injury