Background: This article explores the use of a mixed-methods participatory approach to bring about transformative change to goal setting in an 18-bed, subacute rehabilitation unit in New South Wales.

Aim: To use a blended approach underpinned by practice development and appreciative inquiry approaches, to develop and evaluate a model of person-centred goal setting for rehabilitation clients.

Methods: Evaluative methods were co-designed and co-agreed by members of the rehabilitation team, based on what the team hoped to achieve in terms of establishing goals for clients in their care and what this meant to clients and each other. Data sources included team discussions, semi-structured interviews with individual team members and clients, a survey and stories using emotional touchpoints. Interpretation of the data involved content analysis for generation of themes and the use of Statistical Package for Social Science software for analysis of the survey.

Results: Nine themes emerged. Clients highlighted: barriers to goal achievement; incorporation of goals into daily care; goal achievement; and a sense of purpose. The rehabilitation team highlighted: becoming person-centred; their role in goal setting; and barriers to establishing goals. The survey responses showed the team used person-centred approaches to achieve person-centred goals.

Conclusion: Changes to goal setting allowed staff to feel person-centred in their care delivery and gave them the satisfaction of knowing they were doing something meaningful for those in their care. There was strong agreement that a unified team approach to goal setting was key to client satisfaction and achievement of the goals. Clients felt valued and included in making decisions surrounding their care.

Implications for practice:

• Using the practice development principle of developing collaborative partnerships among healthcare teams leads to greater involvement of clients in their care
• Involving clients in goal setting leads to greater success and improved client satisfaction
• Appreciative inquiry and practice development approaches are effective in developing partnerships between team members
• Staff who treat clients with dignity and respect improve participation in goal setting by the clients
• Creating a space in which the emotional needs of clients can be heard and acted on is crucial for success in goal achievement
• Appreciative inquiry generates a greater appreciation and understanding of how to deliver person-centred care

This article by Nicola Drayton, Virginia Stulz, Kirsty Blake and Tracy Gilbert is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License.