Validity of the Orientation Log, Relative to the Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test

Abstract

The O-Log is a valid measure of orientation for people with TBI and offers some advantages in administration over the GOAT.

Comparison of the O-Log and GOAT as measures of posttraumatic amnesia

“…Levin et al (1979) [9] acknowledged this continuum in the original description of the Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test (GOAT), in which 3 levels of posttraumatic memory and orientation impairments ('defective', 'borderline abnormal', and normal) were described. More recently, Novack et al (2000) [21] argued that assessment of PTA severity at the time of rehabilitation admission may offer information that guides prognosis, treatment planning, family counseling, and effective resource utilization. Accordingly, accurate assessment of PTA severity and duration may offer valuable information regarding rehabilitation outcome.…”

“…However, the validity and reliability of the GOAT -and hence its status as the 'gold-standard' assessment of PTA -is a subject of considerable debate [6,21,[24][25][26].…”

“…Assessment of retrograde amnesia in this manner is problematic for several reasons [21,25]; these include the potentially adverse effects of alcohol or other intoxicants on memory for events prior to injury, confabulation about events pre-and post-injury, and the influence of information regarding these events provided to the patient by caregivers or family during the post-injury period. Scoring responses to these and other questions (e.g.…”

“…The O-Log emphasizes assessment using information that is verified easily, requires little to no interpretation by the examiner, offers consistent scoring across items, and affords the ability to distinguish between impairments in new learning and retrieval through the provision of memory cues [21,24]. The O-Log is a valid and reliable metric of PTA in everyday clinical practice [24].…”

Posttraumatische amnesie: wat is het en hoe meet je het?

“…De score op de O-Log is een goede voorspeller van het cognitieve en functionele herstel . De pta-duur zoals bepaald volgens de goat correleert perfect met die volgens de O-Log (r = 0.99) (Novack, Dowler, Bush, Glen & Schneider 2000).…”