COVID-19 may be throwing us all a huge, temporary curve, but the MAC Alliance of concussion care providers is moving full steam ahead when it comes to adding new creative, proven and objective tools to our diagnosis and treatment repository.
We’re excited to introduce Cambridge Brain Sciences (CBS) which, like ImPACT and other concussion tools we employ, can be used first for baseline evaluations (a great reference point should a concussion occur in an athlete to help in return-to-play decisions) and then to track recovery and help us determine appropriate treatment. Results can be compared to a secure, vast database of non-concussed individuals to see if “deficiencies” in normal day-to-day mental functions are present following head injuries.
CBS Health is a leading online platform for cognitive assessment. Our patients, in less than 15 minutes, can take this simple, web-based test which lets us easily monitor and quantify a patient’s cognition via scientifically validated and engaging cognitive “tasks.” The test provides us with insightful and accurate reporting and can be taken almost anywhere with a desktop or tablet, using common inputs like touch or a mouse.
CBS Customized Testing
Your MAC Alliance provider can customize the test to each patient as needed, honing in on specific brain areas. Created by a leading neuroscientist, the CBS Health test helps:
- Quantify cognition
- Confirm that current treatment plans are having desired effects
- Detect cognitive decline
- Provide information on short-term memory, reasoning, attention and verbal ability
Computerized neurocognitive testing, like CBS and ImPACT, not only provide excellent tools to assess post brain injury cognition but have strong growing databases that make the comparison to “normal”, scientifically sound and reliable. During the rapid telemedicine transition that has been occurring with the COVID pandemic, both CBS and ImPACT testing allow our patients at home testing with an e-mail invite from MAC. The ability to take these tests at home prior to the telemedicine encounter allows for our providers to continue to guide recovery without interruption or delay.
