The poststroke checklist: A questionnaire to detect rehabilitation needs after stroke

© 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SERMEF. All rights reserved. Introduction The Poststroke checklist (PSC) is a short, easy-to-use questionnaire, intended to facilitate a standardized approach to identifying long-term problems in stroke survivors and ensure access to evidence-based rehabilitation interventions. The aim of this study was to describe the methodology used to develop the questionnaire and its preliminary validation. Material and methods The development of the original PSC and the Spanish version (back-translation and adaptation to the local clinical language) is described. Preliminary validation was performed to assess its comprehensibility in 20 stroke patients over a 6-month period (latency of response and degree of understanding of each item). Finally, patients' satisfaction with the PSC regarding its ability to identify problems affecting their lives after stroke was evaluated. Results The average response time was < 2 sec for all questions in the PSC. Concerning the interpretation of the questionnaire, understanding was good for most patients. Understanding was partial in the question on mobility in 5 patients, activities of daily living, communication, cognition and life after stroke in 4, and spasticity in 3. Only one patient did not understand the question on secondary prevention. The 20 patients were satisfied with the questionnaire. Conclusions The PSC is a brief tool that is easily understood by patients and could be useful for detecting long term needs after stroke and to facilitate appropriate referrals.