Different Stroke Scales; Which Scale or Scales Should Be Used?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Assessment
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Stroke clinometrics have advanced, but concerns exist regarding the generic nature and limited insights of some scales.
• Identifying appropriate assessment tools for stroke survivors is crucial for effective clinical practice and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the most suitable clinometric scales for use in stroke survivors.
• To evaluate the utility and limitations of various stroke assessment scales.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of 67 studies published between January 2010 and December 2018 was conducted.
• Studies were sourced from major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, etc.) using relevant MeSH terms.
• Inclusion criteria focused on original research in adult stroke survivors, excluding non-English articles and reviews.

Main Results:

• The Face Arm Speech Test and Cincinnati Pre-Hospital Stroke Scale are useful for pre-hospital assessment but lack gold standard status.
• The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale is valuable for acute middle cerebral artery stroke but not for chronic outcomes.
• The Barthel Index effectively predicts activities of daily living at six months based on three-week scores.

Conclusions:

• No single clinometric scale is universally superior for all aspects of stroke assessment.
• Certain scales demonstrate specific advantages and are frequently used, facilitating research comparison.
• The choice of scale depends on the specific clinical context, including the stroke phase and outcome of interest.