A Comparison of the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement, the Functional Independence Measure and the Stroke Impact Scale

The Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM) is a relatively new measurement tool, which measures specific movement deficits (impairments) caused by a stroke. The STREAM is used to evaluate recovery of voluntary movement and basic mobility following the onset of a stroke. Several important clinical measurement properties of the STREAM remain to be explored, including its ability to measure impairments and clinical change in acute rehabilitation patients in the USA. We hypothesize that the STREAM will be able to detect and quantify a statistically significant change in the motor abilities of stroke patients from admission to discharge. An additional aim of the study is to compare the STREAM with two accepted and widely used clinical measures of function and disability, the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS)and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). By linking movement deficits that are commonly assessed by physical therapists with measures of function and disability, the impact of the movement deficits can be understood.