Enhancing community allied health professionals' goal-setting practices: a mixed methods study using the Theoretical...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Allied Health Practice
• Disability Services

Background:

• Goal-setting is crucial for enhancing self-efficacy and outcomes in individuals with disabilities.
• Effective goal-setting in the disability sector faces challenges related to organizational structures, resource constraints, and stakeholder engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore barriers and facilitators to effective goal-setting in allied health.
• To enhance goal-setting practices using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and behavior change techniques.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods implementation study involving 213 allied health professionals (AHPs).
• Assessment of goal-setting practices via goal audits and surveys at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months.
• Development and implementation of a tailored intervention guided by the TDF, including multimodal training and resources.

Main Results:

• Post-intervention, goals significantly improved in measurability, meaningfulness, time-bound specificity, and overall quality.
• Improvements in goal characteristics were sustained at 12-month follow-up.
• AHPs reported more collaborative and multidisciplinary goal-setting, though sharing goals with individuals and support networks decreased.

Conclusions:

• A TDF-informed multimodal intervention effectively improved allied health professionals' goal-setting practices.
• The intervention's positive effects on goal-setting were largely maintained at follow-up.
• This approach is adaptable for organizations aiming to enhance goal-setting in disability care.