Making It Count – Tracing Signs of Consciousness and Potentiality in Severe Brain Injury in Denmark

Summary

In Danish intensive care units, clinicians interpret patients' responses to monitoring and sensory assessments as 'signs of consciousness' when those responses seem contextually relevant. Based on anthropological fieldwork, the article traces how the clinical concept of potential shapes the interpretation of these signs, treating consciousness as a vital indicator of what makes a life worth living. The analysis frames the potential for recovery as an emergent biosocial practice, contributing to medical anthropology discussions about moral landscapes at the borders of clinical and experimental care.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Healthcare professionals use various technologies to evaluate and support patients who have suffered severe brain injuries. They integrate monitoring and sensory assessments into their clinical practice, and these assessments can have an impact on treatment decisions and prognostication. Responses from patients during different interactions are interpreted as “signs of consciousness” when considered contextually relevant. This study is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in specialized Danish intensive care units, where we explore how signs of consciousness are made to count through practices of enactment. We ethnographically trace how the clinical concept of potential influences the interpretation of signs of consciousness as a complex biosocial practice based on the biomedical assumption that consciousness is a vital indicator of what makes a life. The article provides insights into the potential for recovery as an emergent biosocial practice and contributes to a broader discussion within medical anthropology of the moral landscapes of clinical and experimental borderlands.