Westmead Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) Scale  

What does it assess?

• Designed to measure the period of post-traumatic amnesia. 

Who is it suitable for?

• Designed for patients with a closed head injury.
• May be useful for people  with a history of psychiatric illness, developmental or intellectual disability, substance abuse, previous head trauma or nervous system disease – but its usefulness for these groups remains undetermined.
• Can be used with people with complex communication needs. 

Who is it not suitable for?

• People with penetrating or missile head trauma, as well as the brain damage caused by hypoxia or stroke. 

How is it administered?

• Speech pathologist or other hospital staff can administer it.
• Consists of 7 orientation questions and 5 memory items.
• Takes approximately  3 minutes for most people. May take up to 15 min for non-verbal patients.
• Has requirements listed for testing non-verbal patients  -  the examiner requires some skill and patience.  

How is it scored/ interpreted? 

• A person is said to be out of PTA if a perfect score obtained for all questions, 3 days in a row.
• Once the duration of PTA is determined, the severity of Injury can be classified.  

What is its availability

• Guidelines are available from The PTA Protocol. 
• Picture cards (must use the original) and instructions are available from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Westmead NSW 2145. They can be purchased by sending a cheque for $30.

How does it contribute to a communication assessment for someone with behaviours of concern?

• Contributes to development of a comprehensive communication profile.
• Indication of the level of comprehension and reading ability will inform the type of behaviour supports that can be used.  

References

Shores EA., Marosszeky JE., Sandanam J., Batchelor J. Preliminary validation of a clinical scale for measuring the duration of post-traumatic amnesia. Medical Journal of Australia. 144(11):569-72, 1986 May 26.

Marosszeky, N.E.V., Ryan, L., Shores, E.A., Batchelor, J. & Marosszeky, J.E. (1997). The PTA Protocol: Guidelines for using the Westmead Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) Scale. Sydney: Wild & Wooley.

Ponsford J., Willmott C., Rothwell A., Kelly AM., Nelms R., Ng KT. Use of the Westmead PTA Scale to Monitor Recovery of Memory after Mild Head Injury. Brain Injury. 18(6): 603-614, June 2004.