The Glasgow Coma Score: reliable evidence?

The Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) is an important factor in the management and prognosis of a patient with neurosurgical pathology. We have found that there is often a disparity between the quoted and actual GCS of patients referred to this unit. We performed a prospective observational study to determine the proportion of patients referred with a correct GCS. Forty-two (51%) out of a total of 82 patients had a correct GCS on referral. The proportion of patients referred with a correct GCS did not vary with either the grade or speciality of the referring doctor.