The Glasgow Coma Scale is a neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person and was originally developed by Professors Sir Graham Teasdale and Bryan Jennett in 1974. It is the most common method used to describe the level of consciousness in a person following a traumatic brain injury.
The four-strong team at Glasgow Caledonian University, led by Sir Teasdale, carried out a review of the scale to understand its current use, its successes and its perceived shortcomings, and updated it to address variations in technique that have developed over time.
Sir Teasdale said: “The Glasgow Coma Scale is now used in more than 80 countries and has been translated into 60 languages. This widespread acceptance has led to increasing variations in the way it is used.
“To encourage more consistent use of the scale, we have set out a standardised, structured approach to assessment. This will make sure it remains an accurate and useful tool.”
The Glasgow Coma Scale was initially used to assess levels of consciousness in patients following head injuries and it is now used throughout the world in first aid and acute medical and trauma patients. It is also used in hospitals to monitor chronic patients in intensive care.
A paper on updating the Glasgow Coma Scale was featured in the Nursing Times publication earlier this month. Read the feature online (subscription required) or find out more on the Glasgow Coma Scale website.
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Read the original article at Glasgow Caledonian University: ‘GCU lecturer helps update Glasgow Coma Scale’