Measuring client and carer perspectives

Speech and language therapists (SLTs) seek to meet the needs of the clients/patients and carers attending therapy. Part of the process of providing appropriate interventions is understanding the areas which the client/patient and their carers perceive as important issues. There is a need to know their views, expectations and desired outcomes if intervention is to be effective. Since the 1980s the National Health Service has placed emphasis on the need to include the views of users of health care in assessing service delivery and the outcomes of care. This paper explores the issues concerning measuring client perceptions, existing approaches to capturing client and carer views and summarises initial work from a pilot project to develop a Client Outcome Measure.