Nikita Lane Nikita Lane
Amnesia
Question Received:
Response:
What is post traumatic amnesia with regards to traumatic brain injury? And what are the nursing implications re: discharge planning? 2nd September 2024
Post-traumatic amnesia is the inability of the affected person to recall events that occurred before the brain was injured, and is often most marked for those events which happened just minutes or hours before the injury.
During consciousness the normal brain is constantly active – perceiving, processing and storing information. Loss of consciousness brought about by injury disrupts this process. When consciousness is regained, the person’s concentration may be impaired for a while, and this makes it difficult for them to focus on particular stimuli whilst ignoring others. As concentration improves, there is often a gradual improvement in memory (Gronwall, Wrightson, and Waddell, 2023).
When planning the discharge of a patient who has experienced post-traumatic amnesia, the following points need to be taken into account:
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The views of other members of the care team – physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and the person’s family and friends. Collectively such people provide valuable support and it is important to assess the contribution that each will provide
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The pre-discharge assessment will need to take into account the degree by which the person’s safety is compromised as a result of their amnesia. Special precautions such as preventing the person from driving and not leaving them alone in the house may need to be taken.
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Follow up support will be needed to monitor the person’s progress. Normally this is undertaken by the community care team. Should the person need to continue with any medication following discharge an assessment regarding their reliability to take their drugs can be started whilst in hospital.
Reference
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Gronwall, D., Wrightson, P., and Waddell, P. (2023) Head injury: the facts (2nd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press (Chapter 5, pp 57-58).
Victoria Booth
