Outcome measures for aphasia therapy: it's not what you do, it's the way that you measure it

The development of outcome measures is now seen as crucial within the National Health Service (NHS), and the outcome of aphasia therapy is an area which has for some years been under particular scrutiny. Many districts have developed their own measures and others have taken part in cross-district pilot schemes, but it is not clear how widely used measures are, nor what form they take. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey of speech and language therapy services in England and Wales regarding their use of outcome measures for aphasia therapy. The questionnaire requested factual information about the use of measures, and therapists' opinions of their benefits and drawbacks, and also asked for examples of outcome measures currently in use. We summarise the results of the questionnaire and discuss the therapists' and our own perceptions of the merits of the different approaches reported.