Knowledge of Glasgow Coma Scale among Nurses in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Glasgow Coma Scale is a dependable and unprejudiced neurological evaluation kit applied for evaluating and recording the level of consciousness of a person. Evaluation of consciousness level using Glasgow Coma Scale is a tool necessitating knowledge which is vital in identifying immediate worsening of level of consciousness. Critical thinking used with skill and knowledge in Glasgow Coma Scale is the groundwork of nursing practice to avoid delay in clinical worsening and treatment. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of inadequate knowledge of Glasgow Coma Scale among nurses working in a tertiary care centre.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed among registered nurses working in different wards and Intensive Care Unit at tertiary care centre between 1 June 2022 and 30 June 2022 after receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2905202211). Convenience sampling was done. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to collect data to assess the knowledge of Glasgow Coma Scale. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated.

Results: Among 91 nurses, inadequate knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale was found in 48 nurses (52.70%) (42.30-63.10, 95 % Confidence Interval).

Conclusions: The prevalence of inadequate knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale among nurses was found to be similar when compared to other studies done in similar settings.