Scores & indices
GCS calculator
Eyes, voice, movement — three responses that describe conscious level in a language every clinician speaks, reported properly as E·V·M, not just a total.
How to read the result
GCS total falls into these published bands.
A head-injured man opens his eyes to voice, gives confused answers, and localises to a painful stimulus — E3, V4, M5.
GCS 12 (E3·V4·M5) — moderate brain injury
Moderate territory (9–12): serial scoring and a low threshold for imaging and senior review. The components matter — a later drop in the motor score, the strongest prognostic component, changes the picture more than the same drop elsewhere.
Who this is for
For emergency, trauma, ICU, and ward clinicians describing conscious level — after head injury, in overdose, during neuro observations — and for anyone handing a patient over, where E·V·M is the shared language. The severity bands frame imaging, airway, and disposition decisions, and the trend across serial scores matters more than any single value.
How it works
What it calculates
The Glasgow Coma Scale — eye opening (1–4), verbal response (1–5), and motor response (1–6) — the standard description of conscious level.
Reporting it properly
Always report the components, not just the total: E3·V4·M5 carries far more information than "GCS 12". The motor score is the strongest prognostic component.
Interpreting the result
13–15 mild, 9–12 moderate, 3–8 severe brain injury. A GCS of 8 or less usually mandates definitive airway protection. The trend over serial scores matters more than any single value.
Built on published evidence
- Teasdale & Jennett, Lancet 1974
Codification last reviewed 2026-08-28, and checked against published reference values in automated tests on every release — see the full evidence ledger.
Questions clinicians ask
Why report the components rather than just the total?
A GCS of 12 can be assembled in many different ways, and the components carry the information — E3·V4·M5 tells the next clinician exactly what to reassess. The motor score is the strongest prognostic component, so it should never be buried in a total.
How do I score an intubated or sedated patient?
The scale is not valid there. An intubated patient has no scorable verbal response — document it as VT (for example E3·VT·M5) rather than guessing a number, and note that sedation invalidates the assessment altogether.
At what GCS does the airway need protecting?
A GCS of 8 or less usually mandates definitive airway protection — the traditional teaching behind 'GCS 8, intubate'. The trajectory matters too: a patient falling towards 8 needs the airway conversation before arrival.
What do the severity bands mean?
13–15 mild, 9–12 moderate, and 3–8 severe brain injury, per the scale described by Teasdale and Jennett (Lancet 1974). The floor of the scale is 3, not 0 — every component scores at least 1.
Related calculators
One calculator is the door. The ward is the house.
Every result can land on a patient card. Paracelsus follows your whole ward — guided work-ups, trends, observation timers, and a one-tap handover — free, offline, with no patient data ever leaving your device.
Open ParacelsusInformation tool for healthcare professionals — not medical advice. Terms of use