Are We Using the Glasgow Coma Scale Reliably?

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), first described in 1974, has been a tool used worldwide to assess and communicate the consciousness of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

There have been reports of variations in which GCS is assessed, such as differences in technique used to elicit pain and how confounding factors such as intubation are reported.

Reith et al. conducted an international survey of 613 health care practitioners on their methodology of GCS assessment, reporting of GCS, and attitudes toward its current use in daily practice. Participants included nurses, intensivists, anesthesiologists, emergency physicians, and neurosurgeons