Connecticut medicine
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Connecticut medicine · Feb 2003
Requirement for hourly Glasgow Coma Scores in the emergency department: process or outcome based?
The lack of hourly Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) documentation in trauma patients while in the emergency department (ED) is frequently cited by American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Center Verification Review Committee site visitors. The basis for this requirement is unclear. We suspected that hourly recording of GCS has no impact on patient outcome. ⋯ The recording of hourly GCS on head injured patients is reflective of the initial presentation of the patient and not an objective evaluation of the patient. The presence or absence of hourly GCS in the ED was not associated with any increase in complications or mortality. The ACS should reevaluate the requirement for hourly recording of GCS in trauma patients.