ABSTRACT
This chapter is a comprehensive reference manual providing information on the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), which is a clinician rating scale, designed to classify “ ultimate prognosis (functional recovery)” after stroke. Subsequently it has been widely used as an outcome measure in clinical trials of treatments for stroke. A brief history of the instrument's development is provided, along with a description of item content and administration/scoring procedures. Psychometric properties are reviewed and a critical commentary is provided. Key references are cited and in most cases the actual scale is included, giving the reader easy access to the instrument. The items and scoring procedures for the scale are detailed in Rankin (1957), and a minor modification, referred to as the modified Rankin Scale.
