Clinical outcome measures or clinical outcome assessments are measures that describe or reflect how a patient feels, functions, or survives, as described by the FDA. The clinical outcome measures included on this website are performance outcome measures which assess how a participant functions.
Normative reference values or norms are data collected for outcome measures from a pre-determined ‘normal’ population. Normative reference values are an integral part of clinical practice and are one of the most powerful tools in healthcare to aid the clinical decision-making process. Normative reference values provide information that assist healthcare professionals to diagnose pathology, evaluate change in response to an intervention and accurately describe the natural history of clinical conditions. They are also vital to the development of new outcome measures with enhanced precision and responsiveness to be utilised in clinical trials. Individuals in a normative reference sample have met clearly defined criteria, for example that establish them as normal or healthy.
Knowledge of what is normal is essential in order to identify and subsequently manage abnormal presentations or pathologies.