Outcome measurement in physiotherapy practice & the preliminary development of a new measurement instrument

Abstract

The 1990's became the era of accountability in health care services throughout the world and across all disciplines. Internationally, the profession of physiotherapy faced challenges in the acceptance and systematic use of standardised ways of measuring intervention. In the early part of this decade, their routine and systematic use is still not widespread across many domains of physiotherapy practice. The reasons for some of these difficulties can be attributed to the development of the profession and the lack of informative models and appropriate instruments. The project considers the changes in practice in Ireland among physiotherapists working with older people. It measured the change in practice in Ireland between 1998 and 2003; a 5-year period during which the activities of the outcome measure movement within the physiotherapy profession have increased throughout the world.