Improving the quality of outcome measurement for adults with disabilities receiving community-based services
Abstract
This special issue of Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences: Disability, Rehabilitation, and Inclusion is designed to fill this gap in understanding the current landscape of measurement approaches used to assess the quality of services and life outcomes of adult with disabilities in the context of community-based services and support. In this special issue on Improving the Quality of Outcome Measurement for Adults with Disabilities Receiving Community-Based Services, we focus on different components and approaches to outcome measurement in 12 original articles from the United States and worldwide.
The topics of this special issue were authored by professionals with extensive experience in policy and practice across different service systems and contributed to the field of outcome measurement in several ways. Some articles focused on defining service quality and the life outcomes people with disabilities experience as part of a broader community.
Other articles provided a historical, geographic, and/or policy context for outcome measurement and pointed to existing issues and areas for needed improvement. These include the need for personcentered measures , are capable of being used longitudinally and have adequate sensitivity to change, can be used with multiple disability populations, and possess sufficient psychometric precision (i.e., reliability and validity) to be used in the context of their intended decision-making contexts, and minimize bias.