Which assessment tool is commonly used to evaluate stroke severity?

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the preferred assessment tool used to evaluate stroke severity. This comprehensive scale allows healthcare providers to assess various neurological functions post-stroke, such as consciousness, language, sensory perception, and motor strength. By scoring specific criteria, the NIHSS provides a standardized way to quantify the severity of a stroke, guide treatment decisions, and predict patient outcomes.

In clinical practice, the NIHSS aids in identifying the impact of the stroke, facilitating effective communication among healthcare team members regarding the patient's condition. It also plays a role in determining eligibility for certain treatments, such as thrombolysis or thrombectomy, and helps compare the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches in clinical studies. Given its established reliability and validity, the NIHSS remains the cornerstone of stroke assessment in acute care settings.