Outcomes Assessment In Clinical Practice

This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)

A guide to outcome assessment for mental health clinicians, describing assessment instruments and how to evaluate and select them. Outlines the development of outcome measurement, offers a five-step approach to categorizing assessment instruments; and details instruments for measuring global and spe

Winner of an AJN Book of the Year Award for 2009! Designated a Doody's Core Title! "This is an excellent and timely tool for advanced practice nurses." Score: 100, 5 stars --Doody's "This book serves as an ideal tool for assisting APNs in gaining an understanding of the process of outcomes assessment....[A] useful resource for APN students, researchers, educators, and administrators...." --Gail L. Ingersoll, EdD, RN, FAAN Director, Center for Outcomes Measurement and Practice Innovation Loretta Ford Professor of Nursing University of Rochester Medical Center (From the Foreword) Measuring patient outcomes is arguably the most important job of the advanced practice nurse (APN)-yet conducting outcome assessment and selecting the appropriate instruments for measuring outcome continue to be a challenge, even to the best in the field. This newly revised edition provides APNs with up-to-date resources and examples of outcome measures, tools, and methods that can be used to expand the APN's understanding of outcome assessment. The chapters outline numerous examples of practice-based outcome assessments, with detailed descriptions of how an assessment is conducted, as well as guidelines for identifying the proper instruments for measuring outcome. New to this edition: An extensively updated literature review on outcome measurement A new chapter on outcomes assessment in primary care and ambulatory settings Guidelines for locating instruments and measures for assessment Information on an ongoing international initiative focusing on the development of an APN research data collection toolkit Written for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and graduate level APNs, this newly updated edition serves as an invaluable resource for APNs, regardless of specialty area of practice or practice setting.

The authors are the leading experts in outcome assessment. * Call-out boxes, bullet points, icons, and other reader-friendly design elements are used extensively throughout the text. * Written in an engaging, easy-reference style.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are measures of how patients feel or what they are able to do in the context of their health status; PROs are reports, usually on questionnaires, about a patient's health conditions, health behaviors, or experiences with health care that individuals report directly, without modification of responses by clinicians or others; thus, they directly reflect the voice of the patient. PROs cover domains such as physical health, mental and emotional health, functioning, symptoms and symptom burden, and health behaviors. They are relevant for many activities: helping patients and their clinicians make informed decisions about health care, monitoring the progress of care, setting policies for coverage and reimbursement of health services, improving the quality of health care services, and tracking or reporting on the performance of health care delivery organizations. We address the major methodological issues related to choosing, administering, and using PROs for these purposes, particularly in clinical practice settings. We include a framework for best practices in selecting PROs, focusing on choosing appropriate methods and modes for administering PRO measures to accommodate patients with diverse linguistic, cultural, educational, and functional skills, understanding measures developed through both classic and modern test theory, and addressing complex issues relating to scoring and analyzing PRO data.

With an increase of the population of elderly people in modern society due to advances in medicine and healthcare facilities, there is also an increase in the incidence and duration of chronic illnesses. Similarly, advanced age is considered a significant determinant of depression and poor quality of life. Additionally, the provision of therapies relevant to chronic diseases addresses the issues beyond the concept of cure, bringing to the center the need for a dignified quality of life of patients. An increased interest in quality of life is observed in patients who suffer from chronic diseases, including those with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). End-stage kidney disease patients have a high burden of disease affecting their quality of life and dramatically shortening their life expectancy. Therefore, exploring quality of life issues among such patients becomes an essential task in the management of this population. This volume is written by researchers with a well-rounded understanding of the characteristics and impact of ESKD and provides a penetrating practical discussion to date of alternative approaches for comprehensively measuring the burden of end-stage kidney disease. Outcomes Assessment in End-Stage Kidney Disease focuses on the impact of this complex and exacting condition on patients and those that care for them. It also examines the economic impact of ESKD and the healthcare policy implications of this disease. It also brings comprehensive and thoughtful insights into the issues confronted by patients with ESKD to readers interested in nursing or medical caregiving, geriatrics and health psychology.