Article: PDF OnlyNEUROLOGICAL SCALES AND QUANTITATIVE TESTS FOR THE CLINICIANHerndon, Robert M. MD Author Information Department of Neurology, C.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi. The Neurologist 5(3):p 159-165, May 1999. Buy Abstract BACKGROUND Over the past half-century, there have been rapid developments in the clinical neurological scales and quantitative tests that are widely used in clinical trials. A basic understanding of these tests and their uses is important for clinicians who wish to understand the meaning and significance of clinical trials reported in the literature. Some of the shorter scales and tests are finding a place in the physician's office. REVIEW SUMMARY Neurological scales and quantitative tests provide a means to more sensitively and accurately determine changes in patient performance over time. Thus, both disease progression and response to symptomatic therapies in a number of diseases can be more easily assessed. Several scales and simple tests that are sufficiently efficient and sensitive to be useful in a neurology office are discussed. These include simple cognitive scales for dementia, such as the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test, and the Mini-Mental State Examination; functional tests for multiple sclerosis; the Glasgow Coma Scale, and Barthel Activities of Daily Living Indices. CONCLUSIONS A number of scales and quantitative tests should be in the average neurologist's repertoire. A knowledge of these tests enhances understanding of the literature and, in the clinic or on the ward, can enhance patient care and management. © 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
