Rehabilitation Outcomes Laboratory
The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is major participant in the Knowledge Program©, sponsored by Cleveland Clinic's Neurological Institute. In addition, discreet and searchable outcomes data is collected on patients in our acute hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals through a branching logic platform which is seamlessly integrated into the medical record. Since 2011, active collaborations with Boston University’s Rehabilitation Outcomes Center and the University of Vermont Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science have promoted refinement and academic study of several rehabilitation outcomes tools. The “6-click” Inpatient Short Forms derived from Boston University’s Activity Measure for Post Acute Care are the subject of ongoing study that encompasses more than 200,000 patient encounters.
The patient reported outcomes (PRO) process currently employs conventional test theory, with validated measures of health, function and quality of life. The Knowledge Program©'s Query Tool software allows research access to nearly 1.5 million patient encounters. Selected outcomes measurement is a part of every patient encounter. These outcomes are logged into the database adjacent to a wide array of discrete clinical and descriptive data (demographics, medications, radiology testing, site of care, etc).
Data collection is carried out through the pre-appointment delivery of PRO packages, completed by the patient or their surrogate, either in the waiting room (via tablet computer) or at home via a secure internet link. Over 30 different outcome measurement tools are utilized.
Our current efforts aim to:
- Demonstrate the acceptance and utility of a pre-visit digital outcomes measurement system in a rehabilitation clinic that serves patients who are disabled from a wide range of medical conditions.
- Determine whether subgroups in the rehabilitation clinic have different profiles with respect to existing, validated measures of quality of life and depression.
- Promote the widespread acceptance of patient reported outcomes measures in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
- Promote the use of Computer Adapted Testing and Item Response Theory strategies for use in rehabilitation research, allowing greater precision in measurement and reduced burden for the respondent.
- Integrate the discreet data in our health system-wide rehabilitation electronic medical record with the Knowledge Program©.
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