Goal-setting in physical therapy practice

Goal-setting is traditionally used by physical therapists; however, factors identified in the literature as increasing goal achievement are often not considered. The purpose of this paper is to describe the potential use of goal-setting in improving and measuring effectiveness in physical therapy practice. Factors identified in the literature for effective goal-setting include setting specific and measurable goals, degree of goal difficulty, goal acceptance, and feedback. Active participation by the client in the goal-setting process is of primary importance. In order to maximize the use of goal-setting in physical therapy practice, reliable, valid, and sensitive clinical measures need to be identified and developed. There appears to be a potential for further use of goal-setting in physical therapy practice both as a means of improving treatment effectiveness and as a method for measuring effectiveness of treatment programs.