What are the components of the Glasgow Coma Scale represented by a mnemonic?

• A. END, VERBAL, MOTOR
• B. EYE, VERBAL, MOTOR
• C. EYES, VITAL, MEASURE
• D. EYE, VOCAL, MATERIAL

Answer: (B)

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a clinical scale used to assess a patient's level of consciousness. The scale has three key components: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. The correct mnemonic to remember these components is "EYE, VERBAL, MOTOR."

The first component, "EYE," refers to the assessment of a patient's eye opening, which is evaluated on a scale of spontaneous opening to no opening at all. The second component, "VERBAL," represents the patient’s response in terms of their speech, ranging from oriented and coherent speech to incomprehensible sounds or no verbal response. Lastly, "MOTOR" denotes the assessment of the patient's ability to move in response to commands or stimuli, which can vary from obeying commands to exhibiting no movement at all.

Using this mnemonic, healthcare providers can quickly recall the components of the GCS when assessing a patient's neurological status, making it a critical tool in emergency and critical care settings.