Patients' experiences with goal setting during initial rehabilitation after newly acquired spinal cord injury: A...

To explore patients' experiences with goal setting during initial rehabilitation after newly acquired spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D).

Qualitative design with semi-structured interviews and purposively sampled participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed for qualitative content analysis using the Mayring method.

Specialized acute care and rehabilitation center for SCI/D-patients.

Patients in initial rehabilitation after a newly acquired SCI/D.

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Ten participants were interviewed in the post-acute phase after a newly acquired SCI/D. Participants described individual patient characteristics as well as organizational elements influencing their experience with goal setting. Organizational elements comprised structural elements (e.g. ward rounds, rehabilitation meetings, etc.) and interaction with and among the interprofessional teams. Perspectives from various health care professionals (HCPs) were perceived as increasing adequate goal setting and motivation. Furthermore, the participants described their own involvement and motivation as crucial for goal achievement. The main point of the critique was the standardization of the goal setting process. Interviewees would have preferred individualized goal setting embedded in a clearly foreseeable rehabilitation plan.

Organization and collaboration with and among the HCPs should be geared towards identifying specific patient needs during the course of rehabilitation and deriving individually tailored goals from them. Communication plays an important role in the individual goal setting.