A goal list and a treatment methods index in an automated record system

In conjunction with the development of a computerized goal-oriented record system at Forest Hospital Des Plaines, Illinois, research staff developed a psychiatric goal list from goal statements most frequently used at the hospital. Treatment methods written by hospital staff were also reviewed and classified under the goal statement for which they were most frequently written. The result is the Treatment Methods Index, which currently contains more than 500 goal statements and 1500 treatment method statements, and also lists all drugs and activity therapies used in the hospital. The index is stored in a computer, and a comprehensive treatment plan can be generated by entering the numbers of selected goals and treatment methods. The authors emphasize the advantages of the system in writing and updating treatment plans and its importance in peer review and other medical-care evaluations.