Neurological observations in infants, children and young people: part one.

Caring for infants, children and young people with an acquired brain injury (ABI) can be challenging due to their developing brain and reliance on parents and caregivers. It is essential that children's nurses are able to perform effective neurological observations, because these can identify deterioration and inform the management of patients with an ABI. This is the first of two articles that aim to encourage accuracy and consistency when undertaking neurological observations in infants, children and young people with an ABI to optimise their care. This first article details the pathophysiology, types and causes of ABIs and explains the potential complications that can occur following such injuries.

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

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.