A survey of outcome measures used by Australian speech pathologists

In a climate of increasing accountability within speech pathology services, the purpose of this study was to document the experiences of Australian speech pathologists' use of outcome measures. The specific aims were to determine how many Australian speech pathologists were using outcome measures, determine which outcome measures were most frequently being used for various client populations, and describe the experiences of respondents in using outcome measures. A seven-page questionnaire was posted to speech pathology facilities throughout Australia. There was a 33% response rate with 249 facilities responding, representing some 619 full-time equivalent speech pathologists. Almost 50% of speech pathology facilities that responded to this questionnaire were using outcome measures. The impetus for implementing outcome measures had mostly come from speech pathologists themselves rather than from external pressure. Outcome data were generally held within the department and data were mostly used to improve services. A diversity of measures was being used although the Therapy Outcome Measures – TOMs (Ender by and John, 1997) and consumer satisfaction measures were the most popular. Facilities that had, adult caseloads were measuring outcomes more often than those that had paediatric caseloads. When asked what difficulties they were having with measuring outcomes, most clinicians reported having difficulty collecting the data owing to time restraints etc. rather than having difficulty with analysing, interpreting and using the data. When asked about any concerns they had about outcome measures, their primary concern was about the sensitivity of the measures. They were not desperate for assistance but, if offered, would have liked it to be from a local interest group. These results are comparable to two other surveys of the use of outcome measures in the United States and the United Kingdom. The written responses to the survey indicated a high degree of professional accountability and a desire to collect outcome data as a form of insurance against future requirements. While cost pressures may be underlying the move towards outcome measurement, external pressure was not the major factor influencing speech pathologists' outcome measurement in Australia

Family medicine · Medical education · Physical therapy · Speech-Language Pathology · Delphi Technique in Research · Dysphagia Assessment and Management · Medicine · Occupational Therapy Practice and Research · Psychology

• Goal attainment scaling

  Open Access•Thomas J Kiresuk, Robert E Sherman•Community Mental Health Journal•1968

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