Is it so important to actually quantify what the improvement is....

Is it so important to actually quantify what the improvement is. Surely if there is some discernible improvement - either noted by doctors, carers or the patients themselves then this is really what matters. And isn't this what we have? Kevin Lawlor, doctors wholeheartedly recommending continuation, carers testimonials - where is all this evidence? Sure for future refinement and tweeking, it is important to know and understand the science but somehow this greater observational data is ignored for the sake of some computerised marker.