Table 2.

Example: Searching for Relevant Outcome Measures

A massage therapist is treating a client who was referred by his family doctor for reduction of work-related stress. In assessing the effect of the massage treatments on the client’s stress levels, the massage therapist could ask the client at the beginning and end of each treatment, “So, how are you feeling? How are your stress levels since last time you had a massage?” However, this approach may not provide reliable information and may change for each patient and each situation. The massage therapist decides to consult the IN-CAM Outcomes Database to identify validated outcome measures that assess stress reduction. Conducting a quick search using the term “stress” (Fig. 2), the massage therapist is able to locate several outcome measures such as the Daily Stress Inventory(16).

Recognizing that stress can have negative effects on a person’s physical and emotional health as well, the massage therapist is also interested in assessing the global or general well-being of this client. Browsing in the holistic domain (Fig. 5), a number of potentially useful outcome measures such as the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale(17) or the Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle(18) are identified.

Clicking on the link to each outcome measure, the therapist reviews the information provided under basic and extended details (Fig. 6). Scanning the information provided, the massage therapist evaluates the differences between the measures and the complementary and alternative medicine studies in which they have been applied, and then determines which measure would be most suitable for capturing the experience of stress and overall well-being reported by the client. By collecting information in a standardized way using validated outcome measures, the massage therapist is able to monitor the effect of the massage treatments and the progress made by the client, and to clearly report the outcomes of the massage therapy intervention to the referring doctor.