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October 2002 Physio Files Index
Research Update
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Health Outcome Measures
New Developments

Published Date : 01:43PM 19 Sep 2007

Health Outcome Measures


The team have started using Health Outcome Measures (H.O.M) for our compensable and rehabilitation patients. H.O.M is a test or scale that has been shown to measure accurately a health attribute that is expected to be influenced
by intervention.

Outcome Measures should be standardized, reliable (ie reproducible) valid, sensitive to change and meaningful to patients. They can be used to:
  • Monitor Progress
  • Improve communication between therapist/patient and therapist/referrer
  • Facilitate goal setting
Outcome Measures can be simple scales
developed from questions such as: How much improvement of your pain/problems have you had since starting treatment ? or "Compared to when you began treatment/program, is your pain/problem?"
  • Completely gone
  • Same
  • Much better
  • Worse
  • Slightly better

Numerical or visual scales are also useful for example. We are using the Ostwestry Scale for back pain, Neck Disability Index for neck pain, specific regional outcome tests for shoulder, hip and knee rehabilitation and the "Patient Specific Functional Scale" (PSFS). The PSFS involves identifying 3-5 aggravating activities and scoring the activity from 0 (unable) to 10 (pre-injury levels) regarding the ability to perform the activity. The score is monitored during the course of treatment. The self reported activities are specific for each individual.

Outcome Measures make communication with doctors and third party payers less ambiguous, demonstrate improvement, as well as directing functional based improvement.


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