Introduction: Stroke is a global health problem and major public health challenge. Among the more frequent consenquences of a stroke are impairment of the motor and sensory system, as well as speech and cognitive impairments. Somatosensory deficit represent a common impairment following stroke and have a prevalence rate of around 80 % in stroke survivors. Somatosensory impairment after stroke influence the recognition of somatosensory information, the performance that require the use of this information and the results of rehabilitation. To assess impairments are needed reliable and valid assessment tools. Purpose: To present the importance of assessing somatosensory impairments in occupational therapy and to find out which assessment tools are used to assess somatosensory impairments after stroke. Methods: A qualitative methodological approach was used, a review of the literature on the topic of assessment of somatosensory impairments after stroke was made. The literature was collected with the help of online databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Medline and ScienceDirect. The search was conducted with the following keywords: stroke, assessment, and somatosensory. The analysis included articles published between 2010 and 2020, in English, that include assessment of somatosensory impairment after stroke. Results: Eight scientific articles were included in the final analysis, of which all of them are quantitative. Qualitative data synthesis provided three topics for discussion: Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Performance, Notthingham Sensory Assessment and its versions and Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Discussion and conclusion: Assessment of somatosensory impairment after stroke is important for planning effective interventions and evaluating the effect of rehabilitation. In the reviewed literature we found several standardized assessment tools used for assessing somatosensory impairments. These are Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Performance, Nottingham Sensory Assessment and its versions, and Fugl-Meyer Assessment. All assessment tools, except the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, have been shown to be reliable and valid instruments for assessing somatosensory impairment after stroke.
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