Are Proxy Assessments of Health Status After Stroke With the EuroQol Questionnaire Feasible, Accurate, and Unbiased?

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Abstract
Background and Purpose It is often difficult to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of stroke patients because physical and cognitive problems limit their ability to complete complex questionnaires. A proxy, such as a family member or caregiver, may be able to give an estimate of the patients’ health status. We therefore examined the agreement between the HRQoL as assessed by a series of patients and that assessed by their proxies. Methods We studied the validity of the EuroQol in a series of 152 patients from our prospective registry of patients with first (or recurrent) stroke. We asked patients to ensure that a friend or relative (a proxy) who knew them well was available at the time of the interview. We asked each proxy to complete a EuroQol questionnaire independently on behalf of the patient. Results Proxies completed forms for 130 patients (86%). Agreement between responses from the patients and those from their proxies was better for patients who were able to self-complete the Eur...