ORG12 OUTCOME: Did It Help?
Completing an action is not the same as achieving an outcome. The important question is whether the person’s everyday experience actually improved.
Five things to consider
Measure the difference
Compare what is happening now with the original functional problem.
Ask the person
The person’s experience is important evidence of whether the support helped.
Look at function
Consider independence, access, confidence, communication or safety as relevant.
Notice unintended effects
An action can solve one problem while creating another.
Decide what happens next
Continue, adjust, stop or reassess based on what was learned.
Turning this into practical action
✓ Return to the original need and baseline.
✓ Ask what is easier, unchanged or harder.
✓ Record observable functional change where possible.
✓ Use the outcome to decide whether the action remains appropriate.
What this can look like in practice
Providing a contrasting plate is an action. The outcome is whether the person can identify food more easily, eat more independently or reports that mealtimes are less difficult.
Question for your organisation
Do your records show that an intervention was completed, or that it actually made a difference?
Important boundary
Outcomes will vary between people and cannot be guaranteed simply because an intervention has been introduced.
Want to take this further?
Outcome-focused practice helps organisations distinguish activity from genuine benefit. If this resource has highlighted gaps in your organisation’s sensory practice, Sensory Visionaries can help, from reviewing what you currently have in place to providing a structured approach through the Sensory Compliance System.