Nearly 20 years have passed since the introduction
of the “Outcome Based Performance Measures” in 1993. Since 1997, this ground-breaking
instrument, method and values-based quality of life system is known world-wide
as the Personal Outcome Measures®. It is widely recognized as CQL’s
signature contribution and innovation. The Personal
Outcome Measures® have grounded CQL’s work, research, accreditation,
training and consultation for two decades. They have played a major role in
advancing a person-centered quality of life focus across the United States,
Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Personal
Outcome Measures® have had a
direct impact on many public and private service systems and public policy
initiatives, hundreds of community-based service organizations, thousands of
direct support professionals and organization leaders, and tens of thousands of
people with disabilities and people with mental illness.
CQL’s Personal Outcome Measures® have been a hallmark of our work for
the last 20 years and have been a powerful data set for the valid and
reliable measurement of individual quality of life. Instead of looking
at the quality of how the services are being delivered, the Personal
Outcome Measures® approach looks at whether the services and supports
are having the desired results or outcomes that matter to the person.
Each of the three words in Personal Outcome Measures® shows how this approach is different:
1. They’re PERSONAL
What we do is determined by each person for him/herself. Each person’s
assessment for quality of life is unique to him or her. The definitions
for quality of life are set by the person, with the help of people who
care about him/her and know him/her very well.
2. They’re OUTCOME Based
How we work is guided by what’s happening in the person’s life – so that
the individual is experiencing real outcomes related to the personal
expectations for quality that he/she has defined.
3. They’re MEASURED Differently
We can’t look at personal outcomes without measuring quality
differently. Traditional systems measure how services are delivered or
what the organization does. CQL’s approach to measurement looks at
personal quality of life and addresses questions of priority and
relevance for the person, based individual life priorities.
Key Features
- A
powerful tool for evaluating personal quality of life and the degree to
which organizations individualize supports to facilitate outcomes.
- A way for organizations to redefine their role in the lives of the people they support.
- A
conversation with people receiving supports is the most powerful source
of knowledge and understanding when it comes to defining excellence and
person-centeredness.
Why Use Personal Outcomes in Your Organization?
CQL's Personal Outcome Measures® form the foundation for organizational
quality enhancement. CQL is committed to helping your organization’s
leadership, management, and staff use person-centered principles and
proven strategies in all aspects of your service delivery.
We
start with the belief that knowledge about people is the foundation for
delivering quality services.With a clear understanding of what people
want and need from the services and supports they receive— their
Personal Outcomes— staff can marshal the organization’s resources toward
that end.
Personal Outcome Measures® help you learn about
people’s personal definition of quality of life and gather information
about the person’s priorities and preferences in order to support their
personal outcomes. Personal Outcome Measures®:
- Offer the best tool for evaluating personal quality of life and quality of services
- Put listening to and learning about the person at the center of your work
- Guide the delivery of individualized supports based on people’s priorities
- Help you focus your limited resources and organizational energy on what really matters
- Provide data and analysis for evidence-based practice
- Demonstrate the link between person-centered/recovery-based services, quality of life
- and cost effectiveness