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:
- The difference between eye opening to visual stimulation and eye opening to pain stimulation
- 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.