International multidisciplinary consensus recommendations for the screening and assessment of post-stroke spatial...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Spatial neglect is a common and disabling consequence of stroke.
• Current screening and assessment practices for spatial neglect lack international standardization.
• Early detection and management of spatial neglect are crucial for patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish international, multidisciplinary recommendations for screening and assessing spatial neglect in clinical practice.
• To achieve consensus on the optimal timing and methods for spatial neglect detection post-stroke.
• To identify validated tools for the assessment of spatial neglect subtypes.

Main Methods:

• An online Delphi method involving five survey rounds and one virtual meeting.
• 175 international experts in spatial neglect were invited, with 66 participating in Round 1.
• Consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement on the importance and methods of screening and assessment.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached that all stroke survivors should be screened for spatial neglect within two weeks.
• Experts agreed that positive screens warrant comprehensive assessment for all spatial neglect subtypes.
• Several measurement tools achieved consensus, forming shortlists for specific subtypes.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first international, multidisciplinary recommendations for spatial neglect screening and assessment.
• Implementation of these findings has the potential to enhance the detection of spatial neglect in clinical settings.
• Further research on the psychometric properties of shortlisted tools is recommended to support a full clinical protocol.