The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a commonly used scale for measuring the degree of disability or dependence in the daily activities

Activities of daily living

Activities of Daily Living is a term used in healthcare to refer to daily self-care activities within an individual's place of residence, in outdoor environments, or both...

 of people who have suffered a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

, and it has become the most widely used clinical outcome measure for stroke clinical trial

Clinical trial

Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...

s. It was originally introduced in 1957 by Rankin, and first modified to its currently accepted form by Prof. C. Warlow's group at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh for use in the UK-TIA study in the late 1980s. The first publication of the current modified Rankin Scale was in 1988 by van Swieten, et al., who also published the first interobserver agreement analysis of the modified Rankin Scale. Interobserver reliability of the mRS can be improved by using a structured questionnaire during the interview process and by having raters undergo a multimedia training process. The multimedia mRS training system developed by Prof. K. Lees' group at the University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...

 is available online.

The Modified Rankin Scale (mRS)

The scale runs from 0-6, running from perfect health without symptoms to death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....

.

• 0 - No symptoms.
• 1 - No significant disability. Able to carry out all usual activities, despite some symptoms.
• 2 - Slight disability. Able to look after own affairs without assistance, but unable to carry out all previous activities.
• 3 - Moderate disability. Requires some help, but able to walk unassisted.
• 4 - Moderately severe disability. Unable to attend to own bodily needs without assistance, and unable to walk unassisted.
• 5 - Severe disability. Requires constant nursing care and attention, bedridden, incontinent.
• 6 - Dead.