Is the organization required to use the NIH Stroke Scale to assess a stroke patient?

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Survey (NIHSS) is an appropriate assessment tool used to determine the neurological status of a stroke patient. The Joint Commission does require that a full NIHSS assessment be performed on all patient who receive tissue plasminogen activator(t-pa) but does not prescribe use of other neurological assessment scales or tools. Organizations need to determine which assessment tools will be utilized based on selected Clinical Practice Guidelines. The organization should also define the parameters for assessing and by whom the assessments will be conducted.