Role of survey research in assessing rehabilitation outcomes

Survey research, although often misperceived as superficial and less scientific than other research methodologies, is nonetheless a valid and reliable technique that physiatrists and researchers use to study a range of important rehabilitation outcomes. Surveys are particularly valuable for describing characteristics in large groups--such as the nature and extent of disability within a population--or for learning about outcomes in a given sample. They are the preferred approach for tracking the perceptions of rehabilitation consumers and for obtaining the data that drive service provision, programmatic development, and policy change. On the national, state, and local levels, the authors describe examples of successful survey research efforts, illustrating the types of data obtained, and the usefulness of those data.