Editor’s Capsule Summary
What is already known on this topic
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is widely used as a criterion for field triage of injured patients to trauma centers.
What question this study addressed
Does a single GCS element (GCS motor component score <6 or “patient does not follow commands”) predict trauma outcomes, as well as the widely used threshold of total GCS score less than or equal to 13?
What this study adds to our knowledge
In this analysis of a 393,877-adult statewide trauma registry, the differences observed between the new decision point and GCS score less than or equal to 13 were all below the prespecified 5% threshold of clinical importance for 8 trauma outcomes.
How this is relevant to clinical practice
The full GCS is unnecessarily complicated for out-of-hospital field triage and can be effectively replaced by the single decision point “patient does not follow commands.”