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Abstract
Purpose. Despite widespread educational and promotional efforts, paediatric rehabilitation therapists still do not systematically or routinely use outcome measures.
Method. A review of contextual and psychosocial factors affecting therapists' use of outcome measures was performed, incorporating information from past studies of barriers to therapists' use of measures and more recent information about measure use, knowledge brokering and expert practice.
Results. This cumulative and contextual overview provided insights into how many therapists may approach practice. Therapists' beliefs in the importance of establishing effective relationships may lead them to place less value on formal measurement, to adopt a less rigorous and more pragmatic approach to ascertaining whether outcomes are achieved, and to avoid measures that may show little improvement.
Conclusions. A relational goal-oriented approach to practice is proposed in which therapists adopt a broader facilitative and educational role with families about the importance of the measurement process.
Acknowledgements
Information included in this article was collected from several studies. The authors thank the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation for funding research on expert clinical decision making, and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services for funding research on measurement practices in children's treatment centres. Dianne Russell holds research scholar awards from the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy and the McMaster Child Health Research Institute.
Declaration of interest:
The Knowledge Broker study was funded by CIHR (MOP 79501) and the BC Ministry for Child and Family Development. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.