Mispredictions and misrecollections: Challenges for subjective outcome measurement

PURPOSE: To review research from the behavioral sciences that demonstrates how predictions of future events--and memories of past events--are often systematically biased. METHOD: 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. CONCLUSION: We propose that these techniques could be adopted for measuring rehabilitation outcomes.