Which statement about trauma assessment is true?

• A. Primary assessment identifies life threats
• B. Secondary assessment is performed before stabilization
• C. Reassessment is never necessary after initial care
• D. The Glasgow Coma Scale evaluates eye opening, verbal response, and motor response

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is using a standardized tool to quantify brain function after injury. The Glasgow Coma Scale does just that by scoring three domains: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Each domain has set criteria that translate into a total score from 3 to 15. A higher score means a higher level of consciousness, while lower scores signal greater impairment. This structure lets you quickly gauge how awake a patient is and monitor any changes over time, which is crucial in trauma care.

Eye opening ranges from spontaneous to none, verbal response goes from oriented and coherent to incomprehensible, and motor response ranges from obeying commands to no movement. The combined score guides initial impressions of brain injury severity and helps track improvement or deterioration.

The other statements touch parts of trauma assessment but aren’t as specific or accurate. Primary assessment does identify life threats, which is true, but it’s a broad principle rather than a specific tool. Secondary assessment is performed after stabilization, not before. Reassessment after initial care is essential, not something you can skip.