Outcome measures in stroke rehabilitation

Owing to the complex nature of neurological disease and trauma, comprehensive and standardized assessments are needed to evaluate individuals effectively. No one standardized assessment is applicable for every situation as each test serves a different purpose. Assessments are either generic or disease specific. However, in neurological rehabilitation, most assessments are disease specific as the generic measures may not be precise for outcomes. This chapter outlines some of the challenges and considerations that the test administrator needs to consider when selecting the most appropriate and corresponding assessment. Four key factors are suggested for determining which assessment to use: