The NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) International is an initiative by national and international government entities as well as private and scholastic organizations. These bodies are dedicated to promoting wellness and better patient care in the field of stroke.
It is our vision to provide all patients the best opportunity for survival. We believe the “Know Stroke†program gives healthcare providers the necessary tools to obtain this objective.
To modernize the global healthcare and clinical research system using global standards of care so that no patient is left behind, no matter what race, religion, socio-economic status, political affiliation or geographical location.
Regulatory agencies, Ethical Review Committees and healthcare accreditation organizations now require that any healthcare professional, using the NIHSS as a patient diagnostic tool, must show continued competencies in the use of the tool in order to maximize inter-rater-reliability between diagnosticians and improve human subject protection and patient safety.
NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND MULTINATIONAL (EDI) DISCLAIMER
THE ADVISORY WORKING GROUPS, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS), UNIVERSITIES NOR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING THIS OF THESE GLOBALLY STANDARIZED PROGRAMS, ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REGULATORY, PRIVACY, GDPR OR LEGAL LIABILITIES AND ISSUES AND LITIGATIONS THAT MAY ARISE FROM THE IMPROPER USE OF THIS PROGRAM. ANYONE USING THESE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANIES, SPONSORS, HOSPITALS, RESEARCH SITES OR ANY OTHER HEALTHARE OR CLINICAL RESEARCH ENTITIES USING THESE PROGRAMS SHOULD FOLLOW PROGRAM STANDARDS ACCORDINGLY. USERS OF THESE GLOBALLY STANDARDIZED TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS, THE EXECUTION, IMPLEMENTATION, TRACKING OF INTER-RATER-RELIABILITY TO MINIMIZE DATA VARIANCE, OR THE DOCUMENTATION OF COMPETENCIES, ARE ADVICED TO PROPERLY FOLLOW STANDARDS BY WHICH THESE PROGRAMS WERE ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR (THE IMPROVEMENT OF PATIENT, SUBJECT AND PUBLIC SAFETY).
"The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a systematic assessment tool that provides a quantitative measure of stroke-related neurologic deficit. The NIHSS was originally designed as a research tool to measure baseline data on patients in acute stroke clinical trials. Now, the scale is also widely used as a clinical assessment tool to evaluate acuity of stroke patients, determine appropriate treatment, and predict patient outcome. The NIHSS can be used as a clinical stroke assessment tool to evaluate and document neurological status in acute stroke patients. The stroke scale is valid for predicting lesion size and can serve as a measure of stroke severity. The NIHSS has been shown to be a predictor of both short and long term outcome of stroke patients. Additionally, the stroke scale serves as a data collection tool for planning patient care and provides a common language for information exchanges among healthcare providers. The scale is designed to be a simple, valid, and reliable tool that can be administered at the bedside consistently by physicians, nurses or therapists."
"The NIHSS is a 15-item neurologic examination stroke scale used to evaluate the effect of acute cerebral infarction on the levels of consciousness, language, neglect, visual-field loss, extraocular movement, motor strength, ataxia, dysarthria, and sensory loss. A trained observer rates the patent’s ability to answer questions and perform activities. Ratings for each item are scored with 3 to 5 grades with 0 as normal, and there is an allowance for untestable items. The single patient assessment requires less than 10 minutes to complete. The evaluation of stroke severity depends upon the ability of the observer to accurately and consistently assess the patient."