From the Guidelines
To promote goal attainment in patient care, clinicians should use a patient-centered approach to develop a partnership with the patient, establishing shared goals and assessing capacity to engage in the goal-setting process, as recommended by the Alzheimer's Association clinical practice guideline 1. This approach is crucial in ensuring that patients are actively involved in their care and that their goals and priorities are taken into account.
- Key strategies to promote goal attainment include:
- Setting specific, proximal, and shared goals in collaboration with the patient, as outlined in the Circulation study 1
- Establishing a strategy for self-monitoring, such as using a dietary or physical activity diary or web-based or mobile applications
- Scheduling regular follow-up to assess success, reinforce progress, and set new goals as necessary
- Providing feedback on progress toward goals, including using in-person, telephone, and/or electronic feedback
- Increasing the patient's perception of self-efficacy, such as through mastery experiences, vicarious experience, physiological feedback, and verbal persuasion
- The primary care of adult patients after stroke also emphasizes the importance of collaboration between patient and clinician in setting the plan, tailoring care to the patient's specific circumstances and goals, and sequencing or prioritizing care 1.
- By using these strategies, clinicians can help patients achieve their goals, improve their quality of life, and reduce morbidity and mortality.
- It is essential to prioritize the patient's needs and goals, and to use a flexible and adaptive approach to goal attainment, as patients' needs and priorities may change over time.
- Regular follow-up and feedback are critical in ensuring that patients stay on track and make progress toward their goals.
- Clinicians should also be aware of the importance of self-efficacy and motivation in goal attainment, and use strategies to enhance these factors, such as motivational interviewing and positive reinforcement.
From the FDA Drug Label
The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
Strategies for Goal Attainment in Patient Care
- Eliciting, operationalizing, and measuring the attainment of patient-identified goals of healthcare can facilitate patient-centered care 2
- Patient-centered goal-setting can be achieved by identifying and addressing barriers and facilitators at the patient, provider, and organizational levels 3
- Factors that influence patient-centered goal-setting include professional and patient beliefs and attributes, work-culture, practice model, limitations in knowledge, and systems that disempower both professionals and patients 4
Facilitators of Patient-Centered Goal-Setting
- Goal-setting guidelines, training and education of providers and patients, revised clinical routines, performance monitoring, adequate time, and resources can facilitate patient-centered goal-setting 3
- Clinician self-awareness, a collaborative goal-setting approach, and a supportive environment can increase patient participation and patient-centeredness of goals developed 5
- Using visual copies of goal attainment scaling (GAS) forms, having an established patient-provider relationship, practicing the approach, and having previous goal-related clinical training can facilitate implementation of GAS 6
Barriers to Patient-Centered Goal-Setting
- Provider's existing beliefs about goal-setting, lack of skills, and integration into clinical routines can be barriers to patient-centered goal-setting 3
- Patient barriers related to capacity and opportunity to participate, and organizational barriers such as lack of clinical guidelines, patient preparation, insufficient provider time, and high productivity expectations can also hinder patient-centered goal-setting 3
- Incongruities between patients and professionals in setting, communicating, and prioritizing goals, and dysfunctional therapeutic relationships can also be barriers to patient-centered goal-setting 4