NIH Stroke Scale

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2004

Anybody doing the certifications for this at their hospital? We are in the process of becoming a stroke center and have to do this certification. What have you thought of it. How was the scale taught to you? Did you feel you were well prepared to test for it?

We use the NIH Stroke scale, they went all out and trained the staff and I'm not sure how they did it. But they never kept up with it and the time I started there I was tought by coworkers.

Then they decided to try again, we went to a one hour inservice, took the test. Supposedly six months later or some time later there was to be another test. But as is typical, it wasn't followed up on.

Sorry, I can't be more help.

That said, I think it's an excellent assessment tool. It's quite thorough, I've found things on patients that I probably never would have noticed had I not been taught the NIH.

Good luck!

RNKPCE · Feb 13, 2004

I think it is invaluable tool too. However some of the scenarios we were tested on was on a trached patient who couldn't talk but were still suppose to assess orientation, sensory, neglect. I think it was hard to tell the right score on some of the test patients.

Also we heard one doctor has at least once ordered the stroke scale q1h on a med/surg floor.

The way my hospital did it was we sat and watched a video about the stroke scale showing examples and then we watched another video with 5 stroke patients and had to do the scale on each one( the test part). I didn't feel there was enough time between the two videos to have questions answered about the various items on the scale.