Neurological Assessment: Practice Review’

ABSTRACT Background statement Accurate completion of a Neurological Assessment including the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is of the upmost importance in identifying and escalating neurological deterioration. This assessment must be standardised to ensure patient safety and quality care. Aim This paper aims to review the standardisation of the GCS inclusive of a comprehensive Neurological Assessment in metropolitan hospitals in Australia. Existing literature on this tool in clinical practice, will be further explored in this review. It will primarily focus on efficacy, standardisation and accuracy of completing a Neurological Assessment on an Adult. Methods A comprehensive review of the topic was undertaken, to reveal literature that supports the aim of this paper. Medline and Embase were accessed, with the use of Boolean operators to ensure literature met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Five articles were selected as appropriate and relevant to meet the needs and expectations of this review. Research suggests inconsistency and validity of the tool, which may affect patient safety.