Clinical Relevance for the Veteran: Summaries of Scientific/Technical Articles

摘要

Purpose of the Work. This study determined how different ways of measuring improvement in people with stroke might help design better clinical trials of new stroke treatments. Subjects and Procedures. Ninetyfive people with stroke were studied while they received inpatient rehabilitation. As they improved, their ability to move and care for themselves was measured with the use of several different rating scales. The scales used were the Barthel Index (BI), the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and the International Stroke Trial Measure (ISTM). Results. A wide variation was found in the sensitivity to change among the four measures. The two global scales (MRS and ISTM) were less sensitive to improvements in disability compared to the two activities of daily living scales (BI and FIM). Relevance to the Veteran Population. These findings aid researchers studying new treatments for persons with stroke, including veterans. Improving recovery measurement will allow for more efficient testing of promising new treatments.