Interrater reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale.

The purpose of this study was to test the interrater reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) when used in assessing neurologically impaired patients. In order to control variables, a videotape was developed of seven patients with different neurological impairments. A total of 57 nurses and physicians with varying degrees of education and experience used the GCS to score the patient responses. These responses were then compared for consensus and against a criterion standard. The comparison showed a low disagreement rating and a moderate to high agreement rating demonstrating that this tool has good interrater reliability (p = 0.000). Nurses may use this tool with confidence as one measure of assessment in evaluating neurologically impaired patients.