A patient who is confused and understandable would be rated with which GCS Verbal response score?

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a tool used to assess a patient's level of consciousness based on verbal, motor, and eye-opening responses. In the context of verbal response, a score of 4 indicates that the patient is oriented and able to respond coherently to questions. This means they can understand and engage in conversation about themselves, their location, and the situation, displaying clear cognitive function.

A patient who is confused may not be fully oriented, which typically corresponds to a lower score on the GCS. However, if a patient can still communicate understandably, this suggests that while they may have some confusion, they retain a degree of coherent speech. Therefore, a score of 4 is appropriate if the patient is generally able to communicate, even if they're not fully oriented.

Other scores represent varying degrees of verbal responses that do not meet the criteria of understandable communication. A score of 3 indicates inappropriate words; a score of 2 would be for incomprehensible sounds; and a score of 1 is for no verbal response at all. Thus, a score of 4 effectively captures the patient's condition of being confused yet still communicating understandably.