Why measure at all?
- Patients stay motivated. Seeing a pain score fall from 8 to 3, or an Oswestry score halve, keeps people coming for the full course.
- Doctors trust your reports. "LEFS improved from 32 to 61" means more to an orthopaedic surgeon than "patient is better".
- Insurers and employers want evidence that treatment is working.
- You learn what works. Over months, your own numbers show which approaches get results.
Measures physios use most
Clinidiary includes a library of standard outcome measures. Some of the most used:
| Area | Common measures |
|---|---|
| Pain | Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) |
| Back | Oswestry Disability Index, Back Pain Functional Scale |
| Neck | Neck Disability Index (NDI) |
| Lower limb | Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), KOOS, WOMAC |
| Shoulder and arm | SPADI, DASH |
| Tendons | VISA-A, VISA-P |
| Balance and falls | Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go (TUG) |
| Daily living | Barthel Index |
How it works in Clinidiary
Record a measure on a visit
Inside the patient's case, add a measure and enter the score. Measures belong to a case, so the knee scores and the back scores of the same patient never get mixed. Read about cases in physiotherapy EMR and treatment notes.
See the trend
Record the same measure on more than one visit and Clinidiary shows the trend over time. One reading is just a number. Three readings are a story you can show a patient on screen.
Let patients answer questionnaires at home
Many measures are questionnaires the patient answers themselves. Send one by email: the patient opens the link on their phone, answers the questions, and Clinidiary scores it and adds it to their trend, marked as answered by the patient. The time in the clinic goes on treatment. Intake forms work the same way; see patient intake forms and the patient portal.
Using measures in your letters
When you write back to a referring doctor, include the starting and latest scores. It is the clearest way to show what your treatment achieved. See doctor referrals and letters.
A simple routine that works
- At the assessment: one pain score and one function measure that suits the problem, for example NPRS and LEFS for a knee.
- Every fourth or fifth visit: repeat both.
- At discharge: repeat both, and put them in the discharge summary.
It takes two minutes a visit, and it changes how patients see their treatment. It also helps when a patient is deciding whether to continue with a treatment package.
Frequently asked questions
What are outcome measures in physiotherapy?
Standard scales and questionnaires, like NPRS for pain or Oswestry for back disability, used to measure a patient's condition over time and show whether treatment is working.
Which outcome measures does Clinidiary include?
A library of standard measures, including NPRS, VAS, Oswestry, NDI, LEFS, KOOS, WOMAC, SPADI, DASH, VISA-A, Berg Balance and Timed Up and Go.
Can patients fill in outcome measures themselves?
Yes. Send a measure by email and the patient answers it on their phone. Clinidiary scores it and adds it to the trend.
Can I see a patient's progress over time?
Record the same measure on several visits and Clinidiary shows the trend for that case.
How often should I repeat a measure?
At the assessment, every few visits, and at discharge is a simple routine that works for most patients.