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Quality of life instruments in stroke patients (Master thesis)

Στοιλούδης, Χρήστος/ Stoiloudis, Christos

Introduction: In recent years, the scientific interest is focusing on the quality of life of patients. Stroke is a frequent clinical condition leading to significant impairment of the individual's functionality and quality of life. Aim of this study was to review the qualityof-life assessment tools that are used in studies on stroke patients. Method: A systematic review of published studies involving quality of life assessment tools in stroke patients, published in the last decade (2014-2023) was performed. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were excluded from the review. Results: 274 articles that met the selection criteria set were identified. 41% of the studies were conducted in European countries, but the single country with the most publications was the United States of America. A total of 40 different quality of life assessment tools were identified. Of these, 16 were general questionnaires for the assessment of quality of life, 3 for patients, 3 for patients with neurological disorders, 8 specifically for stroke patients, while 8 concerned conditions related to stroke (swallowing, aphasia, oral hygiene, incontinence, nocturia, cerebral palsy). The most frequently used questionnaire was the European Quality of Life questionnaire (35% of the studies), while among the stroke specific tools the most frequent was the Stroke. Specific Quality of Life Scale (17% of the studies). Conclusions: A particularly wide variety of quality-of-life assessment tools for stroke patients was identified. This may lead to the difficulty of comparing results between different studies.