You summon the physician. Based on the GCS score, what are the next steps you will take?

Answer 1

What you do is going to depend on the score on the Glasgow Coma Scale of the patient. If your patient is not able to verbalize words, not opening their eyes and not able follow commands. This would indicate a severe head injury. The GCS score will be 8 or less. A nurses role is comprehensive assessment and documentation. The assessment should be repeated every 4 hours and will assist the medical team decide what to do next depending on improvement or decline. Neurology should be consulted. If the patient is decompensating anticipate tracheostomy and endotracheal breathing tubes to be placed.