Can stroke patients use visual analogue scales?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Visual analogue scales (VAS) are widely used for subjective assessments post-stroke.
• Stroke-related impairments may affect the reliability of patient self-reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how stroke-related impairments influence accurate completion of subjective measurement scales.
• To assess the impact of cognitive and visuospatial deficits on scale usability.

Main Methods:

• 96 stroke patients and 48 controls rated perceived tightness using various scales (VAS, numerical, 4-point).
• Subjects responded to controlled pressure stimuli on the upper arm.
• Cognitive, language, and visuospatial functions were assessed using standard tests.

Main Results:

• Inability to complete scales correctly was strongly associated with stroke (P<0.001).
• Successful scale completion correlated with milder stroke subtypes (P<0.01).
• Cognitive and visuospatial impairments significantly predicted incorrect scale completion in stroke patients (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

• A significant number of stroke patients cannot accurately complete self-report scales.
• Visual analogue scales (VAS) and similar tools may yield unreliable data in post-stroke populations.
• Clinical assessment of cognitive and visuospatial function is crucial when interpreting self-report data from stroke survivors.