Why Do My Therapists Collect Outcome Measures?

By: Cristin Beazley, PT, DPT, CBIS, Manager of Clinical Science

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Physical therapy for limb loss

If you have received physical rehabilitation services at some point, your therapist likely said to you, “Today, we are going to collect some outcome measures to see where we are starting.” Hopefully, you also heard, “Today, we are going to repeat those outcome measures to see how well you are doing.” Those two statements alone should provide some insight as to why outcome measures are being performed.

Outcome measurement can give therapists an idea of where a patient is starting at the beginning of their therapy journey prior to any appointments, treatments, or intervention. Outcome measures also provide a way to see progress during the plan of care and the success of those appointments, treatments, or interventions. Now, let’s try to understand a bit more about the outcome measures that are used.

What is an Outcome Measure?

When someone refers to an outcome measure during a course of therapy, they are referring to a standardized measure that is used to understand change in a patient’s functioning, performance, or participation over time. These are used in research, program evaluation, and quality improvement.

Why Would You Use an Outcome Measure?

In therapy practice, outcome measures are used to document changes patients experience following participation in therapy. Outcome measures also provide evidence to show how effective treatment has been and should be considered valid and reliable. When something is valid, it means it is measuring what we want it to. For example, gait speed is a measure of how quickly someone walks. If it is reliable, it will measure someone’s walking speed every time it is used. When asked, 94 percent of physical therapy consumers said these tests were very or somewhat important in their care.

Outcome measures also provide an opportunity for the therapist and patient to collaborate on creating goals and relating these measures back to tasks that may be difficult. For example, if a patient is having difficulty walking across the street fast enough during a light change or getting to the bathroom quickly, the therapist would measure their gait speed—how quickly they walk—to focus on that difficult task and help the patient improve in that specific activity, which helps make therapy more meaningful.

What Types of Outcome Measures Are There?

Typically, there are two types of outcome measures used:

  • Patient-reported outcomes: These are generally formatted in a questionnaire style that can be body-part specific, diagnosis specific, or related to overall general health satisfaction. Patients will complete these questionnaires from their perspective based on their current level of impairment.
  • Performance-based outcomes: These tend to be more functional in nature and include tests of gait speed and endurance as well as strength assessments and balance measures.

A combination of both types of outcome measures provides a more holistic view of a patient’s overall status.

When are Outcome Measures Typically Performed?

It is recommended that outcome measures are performed at the start of a patient’s plan of care and, at the very minimum, at the end of a plan of care to evaluate progress toward the patient’s goals. Ideally, outcome measures should be performed on a more frequent basis to track progress over time and assess whether the current plan and interventions are appropriate and successful.

So, is it a Good Thing My Therapist is Performing Outcome Measures?

Yes! However, as the consumer of these services, it is helpful to ask your therapist a few questions, including:

  • What are you measuring?
  • How do those measurements relate to something that is meaningful to me as the patient?

At Sheltering Arms Institute, our therapists select outcome measures that are most pertinent to your care. The best outcomes result when the patient actively participates and engages in their plan of care, so ask questions and advocate for the goals that are meaningful to you!

To request an appointment, call (804) 764-1000 or visit www.shelteringarmsinstitute.com/contact-us.

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