The importance of outcome data in brain injury rehabilitation

Rehabilitation nurses, rehabilitation clients and their families, and healthcare funders easily can obtain brochures about or tours of agencies that provide rehabilitation services to people with brain injuries. Less accessible are outcome data from these agencies, data that should be as readily available as the tours and the brochures--and that reveal far more about the agencies. In this article, the authors describe the system developed by a private, comprehensive postacute service provider for collecting, analyzing, and using the outcome data of its discharged clients. The importance of outcome data for funders, families, and facilities is stressed, and the article provides examples of how to use the data for decision making and program development.