Article

Just what defines a 'good' outcome in rehabilitation has been a
much-debated issue. Indeed, this question remains a major focus in research,
clinical practice and policy (with funding in many countries now being linked to
outcomes achieved rather than outputs or services provided). Despite this rather
constant attention, complexity, contention and confusion remain. PURPOSE: This
special issue presents 10 papers that take a fresh look at some of the
long-standing problems concerning rehabilitation outcomes and, proposes novel
ways to reconsider things and move forward. RESULTS: In this article, we provide
a brief commentary on key issues raised by authors all of which focus on one or
more of the following three key themes: the place of values in selecting and
targeting outcomes; novel methodologies that may usefully inform measurement of
outcome and finally; application of the thinking about outcomes in specific
examples. CONCLUSION: The papers in this special issue address a number of key
issues concerning the evaluation of outcomes in rehabilitation. In so doing, some
of the prevalent assumptions underpinning common approaches are questioned and
novel ways forward are proposed.

Langue : ANGLAIS