HandheldCare is owned and operated by Brent Thompson, PhD, RN. Dr. Thompson has been a registered nurse since 1980. He is currently an associate professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
He has taught nurse educators about the use of technology in education for over 20 years. For the last 5 years he has studied and published about the use of handheld computers with nursing students in clinical practice. Dr. Thompson also serves the National League for Nursing as chairman of the Educational Technology and Information Management Advisory Council.
The mission of HandheldCare is to provide top quality utilities that will be useful to healthcare providers from many disciplines.
- Get GCS on iTunes
- Glasgow Coma Scale Guide
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assesses awareness of the environment and cognition in patients with impaired consciousness.
Its purpose is to standardize documentation of changes in neurologic status, and aid in prognosis.
The three components are Best Eye Opening Response, Best Verbal Response, and Best Motor Response.
GCS Procedure:
For use with patient's with suspected altered consciousness. Score based on best response in each category. CAUTION: Do NOT assess for head or neck movement if suspected neck or spinal injury, assess limb movement only.
Eyes:
If not spontaneously opening-- Address the patient by name.
If no response-- apply pressure with tip of pencil on finger nailbed.
If eyes are covered or swollen shut-- Score as Closed, or C.
Verbal:
If responds to voice-- Ask patient's name, address, or other long-term memory questions. Confirm patient could hear pre-injury, and question in native language.
If patient unable to speak due to dysphasia, score as D.
If patient unable to speak due to intubation, score as T.
Motor:
If patient is unable to speak but can follow commands. Ask simple pointing, eye blink, or hand grasp command.
To apply pain stimulus:
Apply pressure to nail bed with pencil. If flexion observed, apply to second site (brow ridge or to sternum) and observe for movement crossing midline.
Documentation:
Score patient scores in all categories. Total scores are too imprecise for clinical judgments. Minimum documentation should abbreviate each category and time observed (e.g. E3, V4, M6 at 19:30). Document impediments to assessment such as intubation, paralytic disease or medication, or pre-injury impairments.
Frequency:
Assess as often as required by patient condition. May need q15 minutes to q1 to observe changes.
References:
Teasdale G, Jennett B. Assessment and prognosis of coma after head injury. Acta Neurochirurgica. 1976, 34, 45-55.
Teasdale G, Jennett B, Murray L, Murray, G. Glasgow Coma Scale: to sum or not to sum. Lancet. 1983, 2(8351), 678.
- Get BMI on iTunes
- BMI Calculator Guide
- US CDC BMI Guidelines
Instructions for use of Handheld Care BMI Calculator:
1. Enter Weight
2. Enter Height
3. Press Done
If necessary:
Change units to pounds or kilos
Change units to inches or centimeters