Development of a goal setting and goal management system: Intervention Mapping

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Occupational Therapy
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Goal setting and management (GSGM) is crucial for chronic disease management but lacks widely adopted evidence-based interventions.
• Existing GSGM practices in rehabilitation settings need a structured, theory-based approach.
• Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners require tools to implement client-engaged GSGM for adults with chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the theoretical underpinnings and development of a new GSGM intervention called MyGoals.
• To guide occupational therapy practitioners in implementing theory-based, client-engaged GSGM.
• To provide a framework for adults with chronic conditions in community-based rehabilitation settings.

Main Methods:

• Co-development of MyGoals by a planning team including adults with chronic conditions, clinicians, and researchers.
• Application of Intervention Mapping (IM) steps 1-4 and community-based participatory research principles.
• Needs assessment, systematic review, logic model development, and pilot testing to refine the intervention.

Main Results:

• MyGoals intervention targets client self-efficacy and includes activities like Education, Reflection, and Goal Planning.
• Identified objectives include enabling clients to list potential goals and understand the importance of GSGM.
• Two pilot tests confirmed MyGoals feasibility and provided data for refinement.

Conclusions:

• Rigorous and collaborative Intervention Mapping (IM) was used to develop the MyGoals intervention.
• MyGoals provides a theoretical and developmental foundation for evidence-based GSGM.
• Further studies are needed to evaluate effectiveness and facilitate scaling of MyGoals in rehabilitation practice.