An investigation of day hospital outcome measures

It is important to evaluate services in order to establish best practice, allocate limited resources, and strive towards clinical excellence. This study explored outcome measures for medical rehabilitation day hospitals for older people, where a broad range of needs are addressed. The aim was to identify alternatives to the current measure in use across four day hospitals, as it was considered by staff that this measure was not consistently reflecting observed and clinically significant changes. Consultation with day hospital staff clarified the outcomes they hoped to capture in a measure, and their concerns about current measures. Literature review identified potential alternatives, one of which was piloted; the CANE-S (Camberwell Assessment of Need-Short Form). The CANE-S was selected for pilot owing to it being specifically designed for use within services for older people, with established reliability and validity. Pilot results indicated that the CANE-S was not a suitable measure for all of the four day hospitals because it did not offer the brevity and distinctiveness required by all. Recommendations for further evaluation are discussed.