On the afternoon of October 24, Jiaohuidian News reported on the kickoff meeting for our institute’s multi-center study on the analysis of reliability and validity. The following is Jiaohuidian News’ coverage of our institute:

Disorder of consciousness is a state of wakefulness without awareness that arises following severe brain injury caused by various etiologies. The accurate measurement and assessment of a patient’s level of consciousness are critical for diagnosis, treatment, and outcome evaluation. On October 24, the kickoff meeting for the multi-center study on the reliability and validity analysis of the Chinese Nanjing Coma Recovery Scale (CNCRS) was held in Nanjing. The study aims to lay a solid foundation for the further development and dissemination of a domestically developed scale for assessing disorders of consciousness in China, through multi-center clinical case collection, statistical analysis, and the preparation of research publications.

The reporter learned that developed countries—particularly those in Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea—have largely established their own indigenous assessment scales, whereas China once lacked such tools. As the only tertiary‑level rehabilitation hospital currently in Nanjing, Nanjing Zijin Hospital is among the earliest medical institutions in China to engage in cerebral resuscitation and the treatment of patients in a vegetative state. Since pioneering the formulation of the “Vegetative State” diagnostic and therapeutic standards for Nanjing, China, in 1996, the hospital has initiated six revisions, helping to standardize diagnostic criteria and outcome‑assessment protocols for vegetative‑state patients nationwide. As the sole continuous‑vegetative‑state scoring scale available in China, this standard not only fills a critical gap in the field but also enables clinicians across the country to provide more precise care for patients with disorders of consciousness.

How has the 2023‑revised Chinese Nanjing Consciousness Recovery Scale performed in clinical practice over the past year and more? “After one year, based on clinical statistical analyses, we have found that both its reliability and validity surpass those of the previous version. We hope that this multi‑center study will further validate its reliability and validity,” said Gao Zhiqiang, Executive Vice President of Nanjing Zijin Hospital. He added that the average length of hospital stay has been significantly reduced compared with last year, indicating that the scale’s clinical application has provided substantial impetus to clinical workflows.

The assessment and rehabilitation of patients with consciousness disorders are key issues that have drawn significant attention in both critical care medicine and rehabilitation medicine. Bi Sheng, Chairman of the Rehabilitation Medicine Professional Committee of the China Association of Non-public Medical Institutions, stated that the newly revised scoring scales are more precise and easier to use. Compared with internationally prevalent standards from countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, the “Nanjing Standard” is better suited to the Chinese context and has been further refined and optimized to reflect current clinical needs.

“The new scale has been revised to address the shortcomings of previous instruments; it should not only be widely adopted in China but could also serve as a platform for China to voice its perspectives on the international stage, carrying significant implications and promising prospects for development,” said Li Jian’an, Honorary Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Center at Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Institute).

The newly revised scale has removed the language‑response subscale and added subscales for feeding response and emotional response. “We assess patients with disorders of consciousness; many have a tracheostomy and cannot speak, while others are unable to articulate due to damage to the language centers. Consequently, the language subscale compromised the validity of the scale’s scoring. By incorporating feeding and emotional response subscales, we have enriched the instrument, which I believe is entirely reasonable,” explained Li Jian’an.

“If a scale has not been thoroughly discussed, its scientific validity cannot be established. That’s why we launched this research initiative—to identify any potential issues and to build national consensus. Only when everyone agrees that the scale is viable will it have a better chance of being adopted nationwide,” said Li Jian’an. “The convening of this symposium will further promote our country’s own assessment tool, better serve Chinese patients, and contribute to the advancement of rehabilitation medicine in China.”

Xinhua Daily·Jiaohuidian Reporter Wang Tian (Original article link: https://jhd.xhby.net/share-webui/detail/s671a119ce4b03f223402efa5)