United States: A team of UCSF experts has designed a new way to evaluate brain trauma that may reshape concussion medicine and support better care for those with any degree or WHO classification of brain injury.
For more than 50 years, health providers have turned to the Glasgow Coma Scale for assessing brain trauma.
How patients look, how clearly they speak, their responsiveness to pain, and how alert they are are used to determine a score that indicates whether the injury is mild, moderate, or severe.
A Smarter, Faster Tool
Experts in neurology have stated for a while that using the GCS is not very accurate for testing serious injuries.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS IN TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY CARE 🚨
— Triple Bravo Initiative (@TripleBravoOrg) May 21, 2025
After more than 50 years, the medical community is finally moving beyond the outdated "mild, moderate, severe" labels for traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Today, experts from 14 countries announced a revolutionary new… pic.twitter.com/MkQfxSQDIn
Neurologists say the new tool, introduced in a paper published in Lancet Neurology on Tuesday, quickly and more accurately evaluates brain injuries by using the Glasgow Coma Scale and other factors such as head scans and the patient’s previous health history.
According to Dr. Geoff Manley, chief of neurosurgery at San Francisco General Hospital and lead author of the new paper, “Mild, moderate and severe doesn’t work for any disease,” sfchronicle.com reported.
“We need to characterize these patients better. Our hope is that changing the framework of how we describe these patients can hopefully change the culture,” Manley added.
Why It Matters: 50 Million Brain Injuries Every Year
Many disabilities and deaths worldwide are caused by head injuries. Each year, nearly 50 million people worldwide have a brain injury, and 70,000 people in the US die from head trauma.