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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Self-selected goals outperform assigned goals in reducing mobile phone usage: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

Excessive smartphone use is increasingly recognized as a public-health concern, yet scalable approaches to help individuals regulate daily use remain limited. We examine whether allowing individuals to self-select reduction goals improves behavioral and psychological outcomes when incentives and average goal levels are held constant across conditions. In a twelve-week randomized controlled trial, (N = 149; over 9000 person-day observations), participants were assigned to (i) a self-selected condition (choosing a 10%, 20%, or 30% reduction in daily phone use), (ii) an assigned condition (assigned a 14% reduction goal), or (iii) a no-goal control condition. Participants who selected their own goals reduced phone use by 26 min more per day (73% larger reduction) and achieved their goals 11 percentage points more often than those assigned goals, despite identical incentives and average goal levels. Reductions in phone use and higher goal achievement were associated with improvements in perceived addiction, depressive, and anxiety symptoms. These psychological outcomes were secondary endpoints. Although the between-group estimates generally followed the same directional pattern as the behavioral outcomes, the sample size for these analyses was limited and the between-group differences were not statistically significant. These findings should therefore be interpreted with caution. Overall, the results provide causal field evidence that self-selection under this goal-setting design can improve behavioral outcomes. Allowing individuals to choose their own goals may strengthen engagement and support healthier digital behavior. Incorporating opportunities for goal-selection may represent a simple addition to digital-health and public-health interventions aimed at helping individuals moderate smartphone use and improve well-being.

Humans↗
PubMed1978

Do we really want a program evaluation strategy based solely on individualized goals? A critique of goal attainment scaling.

Goal attainment scaling is a program evaluation technique that measures program success using individualized client goals rather than the same measuring instrument for all clients. Although the reliability of the goal attainment scales is generally acceptable, such scales have not exhibited satisfactory validity. Also when clients have not been assigned to programs randomly, evaluations comparing two or more programs using goal attainment scales are potentially more biased than evaluations that use the same outcome measure for all clients. Thus since goal attainment scaling does have therapeutic value, program evaluators should adopt a multivariate assessment strategy combining goal attainment scaling with uniform measuring instruments.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1979

Analytical goals in clinical chemistry: their relationship to medical care. Proceedings of the Subcommittee on Analytical Goals in Clinical Chemistry. World Association of Societies of Pathology, Ciba Foundation, London, England (U. K.), April 25-28, 1978.

The discipline of clinical chemistry is undergoing dramatic changes. The force for change stems from a worldwide recognition of the importance of chemical analyses in medical practice. In the past, developments in clinical chemistry were initiated from a technical perspective. This report provides an alternative approach, starting from the patient and then defining the role of the clinical chemistry laboratory in patient care. The discussions attempt to define the relationship between patient care and analytic goal development in statistical terms. This approach provides a method for appraising the needs of medical care in quantitative terms from the perspective of the physician and the patient. The approach also provides guidance for identifying areas where further technical advance is required, as well as areas where present laboratory performance is adequate for patient care in terms of analytic quality.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1977

Uses of individualized client goals in the evaluation of drug and alcohol programs.

The issue of accountability increasingly places demands on administrators to evaluate program results. This paper attempts to show that individualized goal setting by clients can provide information which can be used (1) to compare stated program goals to actual client goals, and (2) as a realistic, individualized set of outcomes for follow-up evaluation. Evaluation of many drugs and alcohol programs is often based on the premise that abstinence is the goal of all treatment programs for all clients. While this may be a proper ultimate goal, it may not be sufficiently precise for more specific or short-term evaluations. A technique recently developed in the mental health field is Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). In this approach, individual goals are usually developed through negotiations between client and counselor and provide individualized measurement of client success in treatment. GAS was tested on a sample of clients entering public and private drug and alcohol treatment facilities: (1) nearly all clients in the sample chose to set goals, although they were not required to do so; (2) a content analysis aggregated individual goals into a group profile of percent of clients writing goals in each of 17 goal areas; (3) goal content changed over successive interviews; and (4) there were differences in goal content between age and facility subgroups.

Achievement↗
PubMed2026

How is goal setting used in interventions for chronic disease prevention and management in sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Non-communicable diseases are increasingly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and goal setting is often used to promote healthy self-management behaviours. In this review, we aimed to synthesise literature around how goal setting is used, for application in future interventions in the region. A systematic search was conducted in six databases and results screened for eligibility. Study characteristics, intervention details, goal setting components, feedback from participants and facilitators were extracted. Data were analysed using narrative synthesis and thematic analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess study quality. We included 24 publications describing 18 unique interventions. Included studies were of high to moderate methodological quality. Goal setting intervention components were informed by a variety of frameworks and involved a range of tasks. Interventions were often facilitator-led; many were conducted in group settings. Participants reported goal setting as useful for putting self-management into practice but encountered challenges related to language and literacy levels. Adequate detail on goal setting intervention components was not always present. Through this review, we provide a comprehensive picture of the variability of goal setting approaches in chronic disease prevention and management in sub-Saharan Africa and recommend more standardised use and reporting of goal setting intervention components.

Humans↗
PubMed1978

Goal clarity as a component of assertive behavior and a result of assertion training.

Eighty Ss were given the Rathus assertion schedule and a separate test in which their clarity of goals in various interpersonal situation was assessed. It was found that there was a direct relationship between assertion and goal clarity scores; more assertive Ss had greater goal clarity. The Rathus assertion schedule and half of the goal clarity test were administered to 24 Ss, who then were assigned randomly to 10 sessions of either an assertion training group or an insight therapy group. After treatment, the Rathus assertion schedule and the other half of the goal clarity test were administered to the 24 Ss. While there was no difference between the two groups prior to treatment, after treatment the assertion group demonstrated significantly greater goal clarity and significantly greater change on the Rathus assertion schedule than did the insight group.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

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.

Automation↗
PubMed1979

Goal attainment and satisfaction scores for CMHC clients.

The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of goal attainment scales and client satisfaction measures. The findings revealed that goal attainment results, like other types of self-report psychotherapy outcome measures, are directly related to (a) indicators of a client's social class, and (b) the manner of treatment termination (unilateral dropout vs. mutual consent). The extent of client--therapist agreement on goal scores was relatively low thereby supporting the necessity of obtaining both perspectives in evaluating treatment outcome. Furthermore, because measures of client satisfaction were found to be sufficiently independent from goal outcome scores, it was concluded that they provide a unique source of program evaluation data. Finally, it was concluded that Goal Attainment Scaling is best considered to be a quality assurance tool for individual client/therapist dyads rather than a mechanism for the determination of the effectiveness of specific mental health programs and services.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1976

Goal-setting behaviour and coronary heart disease.

In order to test Dunbar's (1943) theory about goal-setting behaviour in cardiovascular subjects, measures of performance and goal levels were taken on 25 coronary subjects, 25 hypertensive subjects and a control group of 25 fracture subjects. Ths hypertensive pattern of goal-setting behaviour appeared not significantly discriminated from that of control subjects, although the data were in the direction predicted by Dunbar, hypertensive subjects being higher for success and for low goals. For coronary subjects, the results were in complete agreement with the tested theory, these subjects showing a significantly higher rate of high goals than control subjects, and recording a higher rate of failure.

Achievement↗
PubMed1976

Manpower goals in American surgery. Implications for residency training. Future surgical manpower in the framework of total United States physicians.

Constraints on manpower are intrinsic in the establishment of standards of excellence. When such constraints are exerted by individual Boards, Societies, Colleges or Academies they should act to improve the quality of care; their weakness lies in their lack of control over non-members, or those who have failed to pass the examinations. Such manpower constraints become specific objectives or goals when the number of accredited specialists is specifically related to the size of the population served. Any such manpower planning must recognize the many uncertainties in the future of American medicine, and maintain wide elasticity in the planning process. Social and economic pressures render the consideration of specific manpower goals essential at this time. Data from the national surgical study (SOSSUS) make it possible to consider such goals. Manpower objectives for surgery or any other branch of medicine should be considered as a part of the total medical manpower outlook for the United States. Pressures to reduce the number of surgeons entering practice are notable at this time. These should be evaluated against other pressures to maintain or increase the number of hospital-based specialists in all fields as the total number of practitioners undergoes a major expansion over the next 25 years, and the pressure for specialty care is thereby increased. A reasonable balance between these two pressures would be a manpower goal for surgery that allowed a modest growth rate over the next 25-50 years. An example of such is the goal of limiting surgical practitioner growth to a 1% increase in the ratio to population, every 5 years. This would be in sharp contrast to the continuous explosive growth of numbers of surgeons, since World War II.

Certification↗
PubMed1975

A review and discussion of goals in community dentistry.

The author discusses the need for clearly stated goals in community dentistry, the choice of goals, and the chances to achieve them. Goals in community health planning should be based on the values, needs and resources of the community in question. When analyzing goals a distinction should be made between dental health and dental care. Some goals for dental care, e.g. equity of access, may concern social justice but do not necessarily lead to better dental health. It is generally agreed that good dental health for a whole community cannot be achieved by restorative treatment alone; good dental health habits are considered to be a better way to promote dental health. Existing research indicates that there are chances to attain an acceptable level of dental health if the community effort is systematically planned and executed. There are indications that a reduction in the prevalence of dental disease can be brought about by new and effective means in the future. Long-term planning should be flexible enough to respond to new opportunities.

Community Dentistry↗
PubMed1975

Automated evaluation of goal-attainment ratings.

At the Fort Logan Mental Center in Denver, an automated system for evaluating treatment effectiveness is based on a goal-attainment approach. Patients, staff, and patients' relatives or friends specify treatment goals from a standardized list of 703 goal statements. They rate the importance of each goal at the time it is set, and later rate the degree of goal attainment. The authors describe uses of the system and emphasize its value in obtaining information during treatment that can help improve the treatment process.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1979

Some diets that meet the Dietary Goals for the United States.

Few people in the United States have diets with proportions of complex carbohydrate as high and proportions of protein, fat, and sugar as low as proposed in the second edition of the Dietary Goals for the United States by the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. Sample diets, including low-calorie diets for adults, were planned to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances and the Dietary Goals. Two possible "first steps" in modifying diets to meet the Goals explored the use of: (a) Specified ranges rather than specific Goals and (b) some but not all of the Goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Evaluation of goal attainment in geriatric settings.

Determination of the impact of programs designed to enhance the functional independence of geriatric residents requires prior specification of goals in terms that clearly indicate the desired outcomes. The Geriatric Resident Goals Scale (GRGS) is a listing of specific goals developed to provide a systematic means of assessing resident status and program effectiveness. For male residents in a VA Nursing Home Care Unit, the obtained internal consistency reliability coefficient was .97 (N = 198), and the reliability coefficient reflecting a combination of test-retest and interrater consistency was .95 (N = 22). For a group of 178 residents, the GRGS was predictive of level of independence ratings (r = .82) and mental status (r = .71). The data showed the GRGS to be a highly reliable and valid means of assessing the functioning of geriatric residents, lending support to an assessment process based on a listing of specific goals. The GRGS can be viewed as a general procedure that is adaptable to a range of geriatic settings and programs.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increasing the quality of patient care through performance counseling and written goal setting.

Patient care scores of staff nurses in seven Veterans Administration hospitals who used a performance counseling protocol that required written goal setting, coupled with head nurse modeling and support to achieve goals (experimental), were compared with scores of nurses who continued with usual practice (control). Staff nurses chose their own goals. One goal was to improve patient care and the other was to improve staff nurse professional competence. After six months, experimental group scores were higher on five patient care scales, one significantly. After 12 months, scores shifted in favor of the control group, one significantly. Experimental group scores were higher on patient interview questions after six months and made additional gains after 12 months. Experimental nurses generally were more satisfied with their nursing careers and described working relationships more positively. Some progress the experimental nurses made after six months was lost after 12 months. Nurses who received high patient care scores from outside observers described the hospital working environment in more positive terms. Relationships of three instruments that measure quality of patient care are presented.

Achievement↗
PubMed1975

Progress and analytic goals in clinical chemistry.

The data that have been accumulated by the Survey program of the College of American Pathologists for analysis of 12 serum constituents for the five-year period 1969-1973 are reviewed. The data include approximately 2 million individual analyses provided by the majority of the clinical laboratories in the United States. The data show clear evidence of progressive improvement. The values reported by the participants for each analysis have agreed more closely in each successive year. The improvements have stemmed partly from improved performance of individual methods and partly from increased use of methods with good precision. Closer standardization between laboratories may have played a role. The findings are used for proposing a set of goals for the analysis of these constituents in serum. Comparison of the goals with the actual levels of current performance shows that for many analyses the current levels are adequate, while for others the current levels fall short of the desired goals. Achieving the goals from some analyses may be beyond the present limits of the technology of clinical laboratory analysis.

Bilirubin↗
PubMed1977

Improving patient care through measurement: goal importance and achievement scaling.

Sophisticated treatment record keeping requires something more than a focus on problems. An emphasis on positive aspects of treatment, i.e., on goals may be more appropriate for certain patients or for certain types of treatment or at specific stages of an illness. Unfortunately, currently available methods of quantifying goal importance and achievement are not entirely satisfactory for general everday use. GIA is proposed as a simple procedure for quantifying judgments of the importance of a treatment goal, of the extent to which that goal is achieved and of determining the social value of what treatment has accomplished. GIA ratings have considerable potential for improving patient care through measurement.

Humans↗