Specific scales for rating quality of life after stroke

Aims. The purpose of this study was to survey the different specific scales used for measuring the quality of life after a stroke and to compare their sensitivity with that of the traditional generic instruments. Development. Most of the studies about quality of life after strokes have employed generic measures, such as the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), the SF-36, the EuroQOL, the Well-being Scale or the Nottingham health profile. These scales allow comparisons to be made between patients with different diseases, but are less sensitive when it comes to exploring the specific effects of a particular disease, such as stroke, on the patient's quality of life (QL) or assessing the response to a certain treatment. Some of the more noteworthy specific scales include Niemi's quality of life scale (QLS), the Viitanen life satisfaction interview, the 30-item SIP adapted for stroke, the specific stroke QLS (49 items), the Stroke Impact Scale version 2.0 (64 items), the Burden of Stroke Scale, the stroke and aphasia QLS (SAQOL-39), the Newcastle stroke-specific quality of life measure, NEWSQOL, and the QLS for young patients suffering from brain haemorrhage (54 items). Some of these scales seem to be more valid and sensitive to changes than the traditional generic instruments. Conclusions. The new disease-specific instruments allow for a qualitative change in the measurement of stroke outcomes and should be considered for use in stroke units.