Mispredictions and misrecollections: challenges for subjective outcome measurement.
OBJECTIVE
To review research from the behavioral sciences that demonstrates how predictions of future events--and memories of past events--are often systematically biased.


METHODS
Description of how these biases present challenges for subjective outcome measurement in rehabilitation settings, and for measuring health utility.


RESULTS
Two new techniques for outcome measurement that have been specifically designed to resist these biases Ecological Momentary Assessment and the Day Reconstruction Method are successful.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that these techniques could be adopted for measuring rehabilitation outcomes.
Smith
Dylan M
DM
VA Center for Practice Management and Outcomes Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. dylsmith@umich.edu
Brown
Stephanie L
SL
Ubel
Peter A
PA
D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000592:standards*