Measuring health outcomes in stroke survivors

Stroke frequently results in psychologic distress and activity limitations across multiple domains of functioning. However, most stroke outcome measurement tools and clinical trial endpoints are narrowly focused on neurologic symptom status and physical aspects of functioning, and rarely assess other important components of health. In this article, I discuss the limitations in the measurement of nonfatal stroke outcomes; propose a minimum set of fundamental assessment domains comprising a comprehensive assessment of health status in stroke survivors; and describe the conceptual development of the Burden of Stroke Scale, a comprehensive, patient-reported measure of functioning and well-being for stroke survivors.