Outcome measures and resources

2 minute read

Selecting the most relevant measures for use in clinical research or practice is often difficult.

A number of organisations can help you use validated, reliable and responsive outcome measures, which are fundamental for gauging the effectiveness of interventions and assuring the quality of healthcare provision.

The Multiple Sclerosis Task Force

The Multiple Sclerosis Task Force has evidence‐based recommendations for outcome measures for clinical practice, education, and/or research. The team from the American Physical Therapy Association has produced instructions sheets outlining administration and scoring procedures for each outcome measure.

Rehabilitation Measures Database

The Rehabilitation Measures Database helps clinicians and researchers identify reliable and valid outcome measures. It has been developed by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Medical Social Sciences Informatics group. The database consists of over 300 measures for use with a number of diagnoses, including MS, stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury during all phases of rehabilitation.

Comet 

The Comet (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) initiative provides recommendations for a minimum set of disease specific outcome measures to be reported in clinical trials. The use of core outcomes makes it easier for the results of trials to be compared, contrasted and combined within systematic reviews and meta analyses.

RIMS

RIMS, the European Network for Best Practice and Research in MS Rehabilitation, provides research outcome measures for mobility, upper limb function and health-related quality of life.  

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy lists important considerations for choosing appropriate outcome measures, though it no longer maintains a database of outcome measures.