Tailoring the Recovery Ruler: A Data Visualization Tool for Disorders of Consciousness Rehabilitation Programs.

Abstract

To describe the process and results of tailoring the Recovery Ruler, a novel data visualization tool for patients in disorders of consciousness at four post-acute rehabilitation programs. Descriptive, participatory, qualitative approach. We conducted iterative design sessions with rehabilitation practitioners to tailor the Recovery Ruler for post-acute care workflows. Four post-acute rehabilitation programs. 16 rehabilitation practitioners. Not applicable. Transcripts from design sessions, research team notes, and correspondences to describe the process of tailoring the Recovery Ruler. Practitioners identified three core functions of the Recovery Ruler: (1) communicating Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) results to family care partners, (2) guiding interpretation of CRS-R scores, and (3) providing context for CRS-R results. Revisions to the tool aligned with these functions, including emphasizing the 0-100 equal-interval scale for clarity, replacing solid lines with dashed lines to represent score ranges, and adding fields for clinical notes and test completion codes. Practitioners perceived that tailoring the Recovery Ruler enhanced comprehensibility, efficiency and alignment with program workflows. The Recovery Ruler was tailored to meet the diverse needs of four post-acute DoC programs, emphasizing person-centered principles of transparency, comprehensibility, and perceptions of holistic communication. Practitioners' input guided revisions to enhance family communication, facilitate CRS-R interpretation, and contextualize patient data, while maintaining adaptability to varied clinical workflows. Future research should focus on extended usability testing and tailored implementation strategies to optimize integration into practice.