A Scoping Review of stroke registers in Sub Saharan Africa.

This scoping review found high heterogeneity of methods and definitions used by stroke registers, with low uptake of the WHO stepwise method of stroke surveillance. A drive to standardize methodology would improve the comparability of stroke data in SSA. The shared use of educational attainment by registers in our review may enable future meta-analyses of inequities in stroke in SSA. Incorporating health-related quality of life measures, such as EQ-5D, into stroke registers should be encouraged, bringing a patient perspective and allow the estimation of quality-adjusted life years lost to stroke. Agreement on a standardized register methodology or further promotion and uptake of the WHO stepwise method is essential to produce comparable data to improve stroke prevention and care.