Severity of a brain injury
Head and brain injuries can be traumatic and have a lasting impact on family life, personal life, professional life and day-to-day living.
The impact of an acquired brain injury can be stark, from generalised cognitive impairment to more profound physical and personality changes. Even in milder cases, these things can have a significant and adverse impact on quality of life, professional development and intimate relationships.
As such, in cases where brain injury has been caused at least in part by the negligence of another party, it is essential that affected parties get the best possible legal advice. The head injury solicitors at Thompsons have vast experience in securing positive and life-enhancing settlements for clients to help them face the challenges of living with a brain injury . This includes the provision of things such as treatment, medical reports and rehabilitation.
For information and advice about our brain injury claims teams in Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland, contact Talk to Thompsons Solicitors today by calling us on 0800 0891 331.
The Glasgow Coma Scale
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most widely used diagnostic tool for measuring the level of consciousness and injury severity in those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. The test has proved so enduring because of its simplicity, reliability, objectivity and usefulness as a crude predictor of recovery level.
However, in order to prove effective, the Glasgow Coma Scale needs to be implemented by trained staff and is done most usefully in the immediate aftermath of an accident, for example, on the construction site, at the scene of a car crash or in the emergency department of a hospital.
Although the brain is unfathomably complex and every brain injury is different, it is possible to use the Glasgow Coma Scale to make some useful diagnostic classifications. As such brain injuries are classified in the following way:
The scale is based on a simple rating system. The patient's responses are measured under three categories. Each category has will be assigned a score based on the extent of the response. These are then added up to give a final score which is used to judge the severity of the brain injury. Here is a breakdown of all the individual stages in the Glasgow coma scale:
Once the score is added up, brain injuries are classified in the following way:
- Severe: GCS 3-8 (It is not possible to score lower than 3)
- Moderate: GCS 9-12
- Mild: GCS 13-15
It is, however, worth remembering that the Glasgow Coma Scale has its limitations. For example, alcohol and drug use, shock and other factors can all influence a person's level of consciousness and may have an impact on their GCS score. Furthermore, the scale is not considered suitable for children; as such the Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale is used instead.
Thompsons brain injury solicitors in Glasgow
Thompsons is known as the leading personal injury firm in Scotland and has a specialist brain injury claims team in Glasgow.
Every brain injury client is allocated a dedicated, specialist solicitor who remains on-hand to provide advice and support throughout the claims process. This means you can be assured that you get the best and most appropriate help possible from healthcare centres and other organisations to provide you with the optimum support, treatment, rehabilitation and, hopefully, recovery.
Call 0800 0891 331 to speak with an advisor or personal injury solicitor today.
