NIH Stroke Scale Exam Questions With
Complete Solutions
How many items on the NIH stroke scale? - Answer-11
/.NIH Stroke scale is - Answer-an 11-item clinical evaluation instrument widely used in
clinical trials and practice to assess neurologic outcome and degree of recovery from
stroke.
/.NIH Stroke Scale is used to quantify the effects of acute cerebral ischemia on levels of
... (7 items) - Answer-levels of:
consciousness
vision
motor function (facial and extremities)
cerebellar function
sensation
language
extinction or inattention
/.NIH SS is used to measure patient's status after a stroke and to assess the outcome
after - Answer-treatment
/.Should the patient be coached? Should you go back and rethink a particular
assessment? - Answer-NO
/.Having what when using NIH scale is important? - Answer-reference materials
/.DO NOT RATE what you think the patient wants to do or what you think they can do,
RATE ONLY - Answer-rate only what they actually do
/.use patient"s first response? - Answer-YES - DO NOT USE SUMMARY OF
RESPONSES
/.re ataxia score
1-if real weak, assume ataxia score is...
2-if they can hold leg or arm up w/ minimal drift but are all over place when trying finger
to nose test, that's probably...
3) Important to know if ataxia is present or not and if present in _____ or _______ limbs
4) if patient very weak or paralyzed, the ataxia score is... - Answer-1) 0
2) ataxia
3) 1 or 2
4) 0
, /.You should only score loss of sensation if you can really demonstrate... - Answer-that
they have loss of sensation
/.if patient has sensory loss from neuropathy, do you count thatt? - Answer-no, but you
do if there's loss on top of the neuropathy
/.aphasia is difficult because it can take a while to go through the battery and it can be
subjective as to whether it is one of which classification? - Answer-mild, mod, severe
/.start to recognise aphasia when you meet them and start talking and you don't get a
history of... - Answer-what happened
/.dysarthria is interesting because there are many cultural things about slurred
________? - Answer-speech.
/.Score is associated with prognosis? - Answer-YES
/.Is NIH scale a measure of disability? - Answer-NO. The NIH scale is a measure of
impairments.
/.The NIH scale creates a common currency so that everybody understands the
patient's level of... - Answer-deficit, by giving a number that communicates to other
professionals how sick the patient is
/.how much time to budget to perorm NIH scale - Answer-7-10 mins
/.What effort should be recorded? Do not do what? - Answer-The patient's first effort.
Don't go back and change scores.
/.IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS IN ADMINISTRATION:
Administer scale items in their exact ______
-Avoid ______ing patient
-Accept patient's _______ effort
-Score only what the patient _______
-Be consistent
-Include all _________s into scoring, including those that may be from _________s
______s - Answer--order
-coaching
-first
-does
-Be consistent
-previous strokes
/.ITEM 1a and how to get it - Answer--examiner's overall impression of patient alertness
-ask 2-3 questions about circumstances of admission, stimuate patient by patting or
tapping, occasionally pinching
Complete Solutions
How many items on the NIH stroke scale? - Answer-11
/.NIH Stroke scale is - Answer-an 11-item clinical evaluation instrument widely used in
clinical trials and practice to assess neurologic outcome and degree of recovery from
stroke.
/.NIH Stroke Scale is used to quantify the effects of acute cerebral ischemia on levels of
... (7 items) - Answer-levels of:
consciousness
vision
motor function (facial and extremities)
cerebellar function
sensation
language
extinction or inattention
/.NIH SS is used to measure patient's status after a stroke and to assess the outcome
after - Answer-treatment
/.Should the patient be coached? Should you go back and rethink a particular
assessment? - Answer-NO
/.Having what when using NIH scale is important? - Answer-reference materials
/.DO NOT RATE what you think the patient wants to do or what you think they can do,
RATE ONLY - Answer-rate only what they actually do
/.use patient"s first response? - Answer-YES - DO NOT USE SUMMARY OF
RESPONSES
/.re ataxia score
1-if real weak, assume ataxia score is...
2-if they can hold leg or arm up w/ minimal drift but are all over place when trying finger
to nose test, that's probably...
3) Important to know if ataxia is present or not and if present in _____ or _______ limbs
4) if patient very weak or paralyzed, the ataxia score is... - Answer-1) 0
2) ataxia
3) 1 or 2
4) 0
, /.You should only score loss of sensation if you can really demonstrate... - Answer-that
they have loss of sensation
/.if patient has sensory loss from neuropathy, do you count thatt? - Answer-no, but you
do if there's loss on top of the neuropathy
/.aphasia is difficult because it can take a while to go through the battery and it can be
subjective as to whether it is one of which classification? - Answer-mild, mod, severe
/.start to recognise aphasia when you meet them and start talking and you don't get a
history of... - Answer-what happened
/.dysarthria is interesting because there are many cultural things about slurred
________? - Answer-speech.
/.Score is associated with prognosis? - Answer-YES
/.Is NIH scale a measure of disability? - Answer-NO. The NIH scale is a measure of
impairments.
/.The NIH scale creates a common currency so that everybody understands the
patient's level of... - Answer-deficit, by giving a number that communicates to other
professionals how sick the patient is
/.how much time to budget to perorm NIH scale - Answer-7-10 mins
/.What effort should be recorded? Do not do what? - Answer-The patient's first effort.
Don't go back and change scores.
/.IMPORTANT CONVENTIONS IN ADMINISTRATION:
Administer scale items in their exact ______
-Avoid ______ing patient
-Accept patient's _______ effort
-Score only what the patient _______
-Be consistent
-Include all _________s into scoring, including those that may be from _________s
______s - Answer--order
-coaching
-first
-does
-Be consistent
-previous strokes
/.ITEM 1a and how to get it - Answer--examiner's overall impression of patient alertness
-ask 2-3 questions about circumstances of admission, stimuate patient by patting or
tapping, occasionally pinching
