Post-traumatic amnesia
WPTAS and AWPTAS
#### WPTAS and AWPTAS

The [Westmead Post\-Traumatic Amnesia Scale](/wiki/Westmead_Post-Traumatic_Amnesia_Scale "Westmead Post-Traumatic Amnesia Scale") (WPTAS) is commonly used in Australia and New Zealand. It questions twelve questions that examine orientation to person, place and time, in addition to the ability to consistently remember new information from one day to the next. The scale is administered once each day, until the patient scores 12/12 on three consecutive days. The WPTAS is suitable for patients with moderate\-to\-severe traumatic brain injury. An abbreviated version of the WPTAS, the [Abbreviated Westmead PTA Scale](http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/gcs) (AWPTAS) assesses patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

##### Drawbacks

Although the GOAT has proved useful in acute care, recent research has called attention to some of its drawbacks. The GOAT's assessment of orientation may put too much of a focus on memory as the main mechanism behind orientation. The range of cognitive and behavioral symptoms associated with PTA seems to indicate that the patient's disorientation is more than just a memory deficit. Consequently, it may be beneficial to incorporate tests of other cognitive functions, such as attention, which relate to both memory and orientation.

Another recent study compared the success of the GOAT and the Orientation Log (O\-Log) in predicting rehabilitation outcomes, and found that, while the O\-Log and the GOAT perform similarly as measures of PTA severity and duration, the O\-Log provides a more accurate picture of rehabilitation.

While the GOAT is a useful tool, these results suggest that using alternative methods of assessing PTA may increase the amount of information available to physicians and may help in predicting rehabilitative success. The international cognitive (INCOG) expert panel has recommended the use of a validated PTA scale such as the GOAT or WPTAS for assessing PTA duration in patients with moderate\-to\-severe traumatic brain injury on a daily basis.


Who is the WPTAS suitable for?