Study of Glasgow Coma Scale in Neurological Patients

Completed

Brief Summary: The assessment of the level of consciousness in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) can be complicated because the variables that are evaluated can be interpreted in a different way by different observers.

The main objective is to determine interobserver agreement of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) among ICU nurses and assess whether professional experience change the results. Secondary objective: to determine interobserver agreement in each of the three components (motor response, verbal and eye opening) of the GCS

Detailed Description: Prospective observational study conducted in a multi-unit 18 beds, neurological and / or neurosurgical patients are included. Variables: Demographic, reason for admission, overall and its components GCS. The neurological assessment was performed by a minimum of 3 nurses. One of them applied algorithm and evaluation technique and all agreed independently valued response to stimuli. Interobserver agreement measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with confidence interval (CI) of 95%. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Clinical Trials hospital.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Interobserver Correlation	1 year	interobserver agreement of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) among ICU nurses measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with confidence interval (CI) 95%

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Severity in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) by Groups.	1 year	The Glasgow Coma Scale is divided into three components which are scored separately: ocular response (assessment 1-4 points), motor response (assessment 1-6 points) verbal response (evaluation of 1-5 points). Scores for each component are added together to get the total that will range between a minimum of 3 points (which corresponds to a patient who does not open his eyes and no motor response to stimulation or verbal response) and a maximum value of 15 points (corresponding to a patient with open eyes, obeying orders and maintaining a consistent language). It has been considered that the GCS score between 15 and 13 points corresponds to a slight alteration of consciousness, a score of 12-9 points with moderate impairment and 8 points or less with a serious deterioration in level of consciousness.
Years of Professional Experience for Nurses in Critical Care	1 year	Influence of professional experience in the evaluation of neurological patients