Which assessment is a component of the Glasgow Coma Scale?

Which assessment is a component of the Glasgow Coma Scale?

• A. Eye opening
• B. Abstract reasoning
• C. Cranial nerve function
• D. Coordination

Answer: (A)

Glasgow Coma Scale assesses level of consciousness using three response domains: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Eye opening is a component because it directly measures arousal—how awake and responsive the patient is. It’s scored from 1 to 4, with 4 indicating spontaneous eye opening, 3 opening to speech, 2 opening to pain, and 1 no eye opening. The other options don’t fit the scale: abstract reasoning involves higher cognitive processes not evaluated by GCS, cranial nerve function isn’t part of the standard GCS scoring, and coordination reflects cerebellar function rather than consciousness.

Glasgow Coma Scale assesses level of consciousness using three response domains: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Eye opening is a component because it directly measures arousal—how awake and responsive the patient is. It’s scored from 1 to 4, with 4 indicating spontaneous eye opening, 3 opening to speech, 2 opening to pain, and 1 no eye opening. The other options don’t fit the scale: abstract reasoning involves higher cognitive processes not evaluated by GCS, cranial nerve function isn’t part of the standard GCS scoring, and coordination reflects cerebellar function rather than consciousness.