Citation

Waterhouse C. Nurs. Stand. (1987) 2017; 31(35): 40-46.

Affiliation

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, England.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Royal College of Nursing)

DOI

10.7748/ns.2017.e10189

PMID

28443443

Abstract

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a tool that was developed to identify and chart possible changes or deterioration in a patient's level of consciousness and their neurological status. In 2014, the GCS marked its 40th anniversary, and further guidance was provided to assist healthcare practitioners with performing this assessment. This article discusses essential aspects of this guidance to enable healthcare practitioners to optimise GCS observations and their interpretation.

Language: en

Keywords

Glasgow Coma Scale; brain injury; consciousness; neurological assessment; neurological deterioration; neurology