#36 - Conducting the Clinical Interview

During the clinical interview, you will do more talking than you think necessary. The goal is to gather as much information as possible by getting the patient to report their symptoms. You will also administer a neurocognitive test, perform the Vestibular-Ocular Motor Screening (known as VOMS), and the Balance Error Scoring System test (known as BESS).

Neurocognitive testing to measure brain function

Ideally, you want a patient to complete a neurocognitive test, such as ImPACT baseline, before an injury. If a test has not been taken, you can compare their post-injury results to normative data. During the ImPACT post-injury test, you will review a list of signs and symptoms to understand how the patient feels. You can use this data throughout your patient’s recovery to show them how far they have come.

VOMS test to detect visual and vestibular issues

Next, you will conduct a screening that tracks eye movements and allows you to observe how the vestibular system is working. When conducting VOMS you will get to see any change in symptoms as exercises are completed. There are a series of eye movements such as side-to-side without moving the head, up and down, shaking the head and keeping the eyes steady on one point. These will help you understand the patient’s deficits and where you can cater rehab going forward.

To see a VOMS test demo, go to ImPACTQuickTest.com/VOMS.

BESS balance testing

The BESS balance test evaluates a patient’s body awareness, postural stability, and control of their body after a head injury. It’s common for athletes to have BESS baseline results prior to injury which gives you data to compare. The general public likely won’t have access to this information but you can still use these results to track their progress as the number of errors they have decreases.

To see a BESS test demo go to ImPACTQuickTest.com/BESS.

Having objective tools to measure recovery is beneficial for a couple of reasons. They can help document your patient’s rehabilitation and show progress over time. Some tools are even covered by CPT codes for concussion care which can generate extra revenue.