Motor assessment scale scores as a measure of rehabilitation outcome following stroke

The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcome of rehabilitation following cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in one Sydney unit. This unit has implemented a philosophy of training based on a motor learning model for rehabilitation proposed by Carr and Shepherd (1987a and b). The proposed motor learning model stresses the need for task and context specific training of everyday actions. Data, including patient characteristics and Motor Assessment Scale (MAS) scores, were collected through a retrospective audit of all patients diagnosed as having a CVA and discharged from the unit during 1989. The major finding of this study was that, following rehabilitation within a multi-disciplinary program, patients were able to improve their motor performance as demonstrated by changes in MAS scores. The measurement of outcome of rehabilitation for this unit has contributed to quality assurance by identifying motor tasks that warrant further emphasis in training in order to improve upon the reported outcome of rehabilitation.