title: Daily National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale examinations at stroke centers: why not do them?
abstract: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was originally designed to stratify patients according to stroke severity for clinical trials, and now it is used to predict disposition and prognosticate functional outcome. Many researchers have also adopted it to trend patient progress over time and detect early neurologic deterioration. However, few investigators have reported its utility in monitoring the daily progress of patients hospitalized for stroke. In the present article, the authors discuss the advantages of daily National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale assessments and our clinical experience with this invaluable tool.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Program, Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Siegler
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin-Schild
mesh_terms: D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: NIHSS; daily assessment; ischemic stroke; neurologic deterioration; prognosis; stroke center