Performing Neurological Observations

Neurological observations are normally performed on clients with an altered conscious state and/or clients who are at risk of deterioration in central nervous system function. Examples are (suspected) brain lesion, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), head injury and hypoglycaemia. Neurological observations include temperature, pulse and respiration (TPR), blood pressure (BP), oxygen saturation (SpO₂), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and assessment of pupils.

The GCS assesses the client’s conscious state, by measuring arousal (brainstem function) and cognition (cerebral hemisphere function). It includes scoring of separate subscales related to eye opening, best verbal and motor response.