Do calendars enhance posttraumatic temporal orientation : a pilot study

Authors: Watanabe T. K.; Black K. L.; Zafonte R. D.; Millis S. R.; Mann N. R.

Source: Brain Injury, Volume 12, Number 1, 1 January 1998 , pp. 81-86(6)

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Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an in room calendar to correct temporal disorientation in a brain injured population. Thirty consecutive brain injured patients 16 traumatic, 14 non traumatic admitted to a brain injury rehabilitation unit were randomly assigned to either a group with in room calendars n = 14 or a group without calendars n= 16 . A baseline Temporal Orientation Test TOT score was obtained. Daily TOT scores were obtained for patients throughout their rehabilitation stay or until two consecutive normal scores were obtained. When orientation errors were made, they were corrected and the attention of the patient was drawn to the calendar. There were no statistically significant associations between group and age, gender or mean GCS for patients with traumatic etiology . Only baseline length of post traumatic amnesia PTA had a significant association with eventual emergence from PTA as defined by a normal score on the TOT . Age and presence of calendar were not significant. In room calendars have been espoused as orientation aides. The data from this pilot study suggest that calendars do not hasten re orientation. This finding suggests that other widely held but not rigorously tested beliefs regarding cognitive rehabilitation may need to be examined.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1998-01-01

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