Michel Loranger
Martin Doyon
School of Psychology,
Laval University, Laval, QC.
Due to the heterogeneity of their deficits, stroke patients constitute a distinct population within rehabilitation settings. Deficits that follow an acute stroke are mostly related to motor and intellectual performance and, frequently, to cognitive functioning as well. These deficits have tremendous consequences on individuals' global autonomy in completing activities of daily living, as well as on their social and vocational participation.1-3 Current statistics show that there are nearly 4 million patients in the United States dealing with the consequences of a stroke. Therefore, accurate and reliable assessment of acute stroke prognosis should be of major concern to clinicians.
Accordingly, in its report published in 1989, the World Health Organization (WHO)4 encouraged the development of new information and assessment tools in order to guide, support and justify clinical interventions. WHO's model suggests classifying acute stroke patients into three categories according to their potential for recovery:
- Patients who recover spontaneously without any attempt at rehabilitation;
- Patients who show a good recovery requiring rehabilitation effort;
- Patients showing no real improvement independent of the effort made at rehabilitation.
