Abstract
Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) assess clinical outcomes from the perspective of the patient. The stroke community recommended fifteen questions for use in stroke survivors, based on the established PROMIS10 with five additional stroke-specific questions. This study aimed to determine its association with the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission. PROM responses were taken from an existing randomised control trial and, using secondary analysis, the total score was calculated out of 100. The association between PROMs and NIHSS was estimated. Using a multivariable regression, an adjusted mean difference (aMD) in PROM total score for the baseline clinical characteristics was calculated. 343 participants (16.3%) completed the PROM; mean age 71.7 (30-94) years; 133 women (38.8%). There was a strong association between increasing NIHSS Scores on admission to hospital and worsening PROM scores at 6 months (p = 0.002). There was consistency between the NIHSS and modified Rankin score with the stroke-specific domain and total PROM scores. When adjusted, women had lower (worse) total PROM scores, with aMD = -3.85 (95% CI -6.30--1.41; p = 0.002) and so did haemorrhagic strokes, with a reduction of 3.88 (95% CI -0.61-7.37; p = 0.097). This study contributes to the evaluation process of this stroke-specific PROM and emphasises that stroke severity on admission correlates with poorer patient outcomes 6 months following a stroke, especially in women and those suffering haemorrhagic stroke.