Clinical Calculators

mRS (modified Rankin Scale)

Degree of disability after a stroke, rated on 7 grades from 0 to 6 by independence in daily life

1 item left

Degree of disability (choose the one grade that fits, by independence in daily life)

0: No symptoms

1: No significant disability despite symptoms

2: Slight disability

3: Moderate disability

4: Moderately severe disability

5: Severe disability

6: Dead

Cautions

  • The scale rates disability and limits on activity after a stroke on 6 grades, from 0 (no symptoms) to 5 (severe disability), and adds 6 for death, making 7 grades. The one grade you choose is the result; there is no sum of points.
  • The grade is decided by asking about the patient's daily life. The Japanese criteria manual gives a guide for each grade and a matching 10-item questionnaire (Table 2 of Shinohara 2007). This calculator only lets you choose a grade and does not follow the questionnaire.
  • Ratings near the borders between grades tend to vary between raters. Ratings made with the Japanese criteria manual and questionnaire agreed well, both between raters and within the same rater (intraclass correlation coefficient around 0.9).
  • "Help" includes giving a hand, giving verbal instructions, and watching over the person. Walking is judged mainly by whether the person can walk on level ground, and using a walking aid such as a cane or walker is not counted as help (a note in the Japanese criteria manual).
  • This calculator adds the standard 7-grade scale's grade 6 (dead) to the 6 grades (0 to 5) of the Japanese criteria manual. The agreement of that manual was tested in patients with cerebral infarction (46 patients), so the same agreement is not guaranteed when other diseases are rated.

References

  1. van Swieten JC, Koudstaal PJ, Visser MC, Schouten HJ, van Gijn J. Interobserver agreement for the assessment of handicap in stroke patients. Stroke. 1988;19(5):604-607. (Abstract) (original not seen) PMID: 3363593[Original article]
  2. Shinohara Y, Minematsu K, Amano T, Ohashi Y; mRS Reliability Study Group. Reliability of modified Rankin Scale: Introduction of a guidance scheme and a questionnaire written in Japanese (in Japanese). Jpn J Stroke. 2007;29(1):6-13. (Table 1 (criteria manual), Table 2 (questionnaire)) DOI: 10.3995/jstroke.29.6, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jstroke/29/1/29_1_6/_article/-char/ja/[Review article]
  3. Pożarowszczyk N, Kurkowska-Jastrzębska I, Sarzyńska-Długosz I, Nowak M, Karliński M. Reliability of the modified Rankin Scale in clinical practice of stroke units and rehabilitation wards. Front Neurol. 2023;14:1064642. (Introduction) DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1064642, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1064642/full[Review article]

Checked on: 2026-10-13

Disclaimer

This calculation is intended to support the judgment of healthcare professionals. Results are for reference only; decisions about diagnosis and treatment must be made by the responsible healthcare professional. The values you enter never leave your device.