Remember 2 Things: Calculating the Glasgow Coma Score

Two tripping points that can be a challenge when evaluating impaired consciousness levels with the Glasgow Coma Score

The Glasgow Coma Score, used to assess impaired consciousness level in response to defined stimuli, is one of the first things taught in EMT class, right alongside head/spinal trauma.

In this video, host Steve Whitehead, NREMT-P, shares two tripping points that can cause EMTs and paramedics to struggle to assign a correct Glasgow Coma Score: 

  1. The difference between eye opening to visual stimulation and eye opening to pain stimulation
  2. The difference between localizing pain and withdrawing from pain

Remember these tips when you perform the Glasgow Coma Score assessment

Read next: GCS-40: The Glasgow Coma Scale turns 40 and gets a facelift

This video was originally posted July 26, 2012. It has been updated.
 

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