Modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Functional outcome after stroke on a single 0 to 6 grade. A score of 0 to 2 is usually treated as a favourable outcome.
Updated · Methodology
Stroke trials usually treat a score of 0 to 2 as a favourable outcome.
About this calculator
The scale describes not the neurological deficit itself but its consequences for daily life, and that is what separates it from the NIHSS. The same NIHSS deficit produces a different Rankin grade in a pianist and in someone whose work does not depend on fine motor control. The boundary of independence sits between 2 and 3: up to and including 2 the person manages without another person's help, from 3 help is needed. That is why trials of thrombolysis and thrombectomy usually report the proportion of patients scoring 0 to 2. The weakness of the scale is well known and well studied: interobserver agreement is modest, particularly at the 2-3 and 3-4 boundaries. A structured interview improves reproducibility, and clinical trials use one rather than free-form questioning. The grade is assigned at a defined moment, usually 90 days after the stroke, and values from different time points are not comparable. Many patients already score above zero before the stroke, so the pre-stroke level is worth recording separately.
Source
Formula version: van-swieten-1988-v1
Related
Calculators
- NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS)Standardized 15-item assessment of ischemic stroke severity. Total range 0–42.
- ABCD² Score (stroke risk after TIA)Two-day ischemic stroke risk after transient ischemic attack.
- Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)Consciousness level by eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Total range 3–15.
- Barthel IndexBasic activities of daily living across ten items, 0 to 100 points. Baztán thresholds: under 20 total dependence, 100 independence.