AVPU is a mnemonic used to assess a patient’s level of consciousness. It stands for:
- Alert: The patient is fully awake (although not necessarily oriented).
- Voice: The patient responds to voices by opening their eyes, looking at the speaker, or responding verbally (though not necessarily coherently).
- Pain: The patient responds to painful stimuli with a reflex or non-purposeful movement.
- Unresponsive: The patient does not respond to voice or painful stimuli.