Affiliation:
1. Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, Cambridge, UK
Abstract
The Modified Glasgow Coma Scale is a resource that was developed to assess and monitor patients with altered neurological status. It incorporates three categories of examination: level of consciousness; motor activity; and brain stem reflexes. Each category is assigned a score from 1–6 and scores are added together giving an overall score of between 3–18. The lower the score, the poorer the prognosis. Scores should be taken at several intervals over a period of time which will provide a trend which gives crucial information to the veterinary team to aid in clinical decision making. The ability to accurately perform the assessment and interpret the results is a skill veterinary nurses can become proficient at and therefore be able to accurately report and discuss patient progress with the veterinary team and clients.