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Physiotherapy vocabulary · Assessment and Examination

Outcome measure

Meaning in physiotherapy, with examples

nounCommon term

In physiotherapy, outcome measure means: A standard test or questionnaire used to measure a patient's condition at the start of treatment and again later, to show whether things are changing.

In Turkish: sonuç ölçütü, değerlendirme ölçeği

How it is used

Physiotherapists choose validated outcome measures, such as the Oswestry Disability Index for back pain, the Berg Balance Scale or the Timed Up and Go test, and repeat them at reassessment and discharge. Services also use outcome measures to report their results.

Example sentences

  1. We record two outcome measures at the first visit and repeat them at discharge.

  2. The Timed Up and Go is a quick outcome measure of mobility and falls risk.

Common collocations

  • validated outcome measure
  • patient-reported outcome measure
  • use an outcome measure
  • baseline score
  • assessmentThe process of collecting information about a patient's problem through questions, observation, measurement and tests, in order to understand it and plan treatment.
  • pain scaleA simple tool that asks patients to rate how strong their pain is, most often as a number from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable).
  • SMART goalsTreatment goals written to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, so that progress can be checked clearly.
  • dischargeThe end of a patient's care, when they leave hospital or finish a course of physiotherapy because their goals are met or treatment is no longer needed.

More terms: Assessment and Examination

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