Masterclass Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness (PDOC): appropriate care for people with PDOC
In this masterclass on prolonged disorders of consciousness, we focus on the various phases of PDOC care in the Netherlands. In other words, we look at the possible care pathway that someone with a PDOC may go through.
25 June 2026Every year, thousands of people in the Netherlands fall into a coma due acquired brain injury. Fortunately, most of them will regain consciousness quickly. However, sometimes a person opens their eyes but consciousness has not returned at all, or only partially. In such cases, artificial ventilation is often no longer needed, but the person is unable to speak or follow commands.
If consciousness has not returned at all or only partially, within four weeks, we refer to this as a prolonged disorder of consciousness, abbreviated as PDOC.
In this masterclass on prolonged disorders of consciousness, we focus on the various phases of PDOC care in the Netherlands. In other words, we look at the possible care pathway that someone with a PDOC may go through. We will cover: PDOC in general, the Mobile Expert Team on PDOC, Early Intensive Neurorehabilitation (EIN), Prolonged Intensive Neurorehabilitation (PIN), specialized chronic PDOC care, and Palliative Care.