Quality of life and age following stroke

Stroke is a major health problem with a significant impact on the health-related quality of life [1]. Registry data, such as that collected in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry, provide information that can be used in clinical decision-making and monitor the quality of care and outcomes of those hospitalised for stroke [2,3]. Measures that assess health-related quality of life, such as the EuroQoL-5 dimension-3 level, reflect the importance of evaluating care and outcomes from the patients’ own perspective. The EuroQoL-5 dimension-3 level is a validated measure and includes a visual analogue scale where the patient rates their health status from 0 to 100 (0 worse than death and 100 best health) [4]. Five further questions summarise the patient’s levels of mobility, pain or discomfort, self-care, anxiety or depression, and usual activities at 90-180 days follow-up post-stroke. Collecting these data have been important to describe the burden of stroke and as such, are of interest to healthcare providers, researchers and policymakers alike.