Neurological observations in infants, children and young people: part two
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Neurological observations in infants, children and young people: part two

Kelvin McMillan Assistant professor, Medical School, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Hannah Shaw Teaching fellow, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Alice Hemesley Paediatric intensive care staff nurse, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, England
Waheeda Zaman Lecturer, Faculty of Health Education and Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
Nabisah Qazim Assistant lecturer, Faculty of Health Education and Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of the elements of neurological assessments in children

  • To improve your understanding of when to perform neurological observations and when to escalate them

  • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Neurological observations are a vital part of the assessment of infants, children and young people with a suspected or confirmed acquired brain injury (ABI). They are designed to identify neurological deterioration and inform the management of ABIs. Children’s nurses may perform many of these neurological observations, including by using tools such as the AVPU scale, the Glasgow Coma Scale, pupillary response and limb assessment. This is the second of two articles that aim to encourage accuracy and consistency when performing neurological observations in infants, children and young people with a suspected or confirmed ABI to optimise their care. The article explains how to undertake various elements of a neurological assessment, how often to perform neurological observations, when to escalate concerns and why it is important to use family-centred care.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1473

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@CYP_UOB_Kelvin

Correspondence

k.mcmillan@bham.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

McMillan K, Shaw H, Hemesley A et al (2023) Neurological observations in infants, children and young people: part two. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1473

Published online: 17 July 2023

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