How to Understand the Glasgow Coma Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a method for establishing a person's conscious state. It was originally used only on coma patients but is now used to evaluate a wide variety of brain injuries. The minimum score is a 3, which indicates deep unconsciousness. The highest score on the most widely used GCS is a 15, which indicates complete consciousness.Things You'll Need
- Reference information for GCS
Instructions
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Evaluate the eye response. Assign 1 point if the eyes don't open in response to pain and 2 points if they open in response to pain. The doctor will typically attempt to elicit a pain response by applying pressure to the eye sockets or chest. Assign 3 points if the eyes open in response to speech and 4 points if they open spontaneously.
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2
Assess the verbal response. Assign 1 point for no verbal response and 2 points for sounds but no words. Assign 3 points for words without conversation, such as random exclamations. Assign 4 points for confused or disoriented language and 5 points for fully oriented language.
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3
Establish the motor response. Assign 1 point for no movement in response to pain and 2 points for extending a limb in response to pain. Assign 3 points for abnormal flexion of a limb such as rotating the shoulder. Assign 4 points for normal flexion of a limb such as flexing the elbow or wrist. Assign 5 points for purposeful movement that attempts to remove the source of pain and 6 points for movement in response to a command.
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4
Calculate the GCS score by summing the points for the eye, verbal and motor response scores. The eye score ranges from 1 to 4 points, the verbal response score ranges from 1 to 5 points, and the motor response score ranges from 1 to 6 points. This provides the range of 3 to 15 points for the total GCS score.
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Interpret the GCS score. A GCS of less than 9 represents a severe brain injury, a GCS score between 9 and 12 is a moderate brain injury, and a GCS score of 13 or 14 is a minor brain injury.
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