Rehabilitation care and outcomes from the patient's perspective

In the past, quality of health care was measured principally with reference to provider-established norms. More recently, increased attention has been paid to patients' views on care delivery and outcomes. However, in rehabilitation medicine, this trend has not been established: provider-assessed outcomes during short stays in specific settings are the focus of care. This article offers a theoretic framework for the assessment of rehabilitative care from the patient's perspective. Four domains of the patient's experience and the specific dimensions of each domain are discussed, and their influence on the measurement of quality from the patient's viewpoint is reviewed. A similar comparison is made between patient and provider perspectives on care outcomes. Examples are provided of patient-based outcome measures. Emphasis is placed on the importance of distinguishing between provider and patient perspectives and on giving the patient's views a primary role in evaluating care and outcomes.