Identifying Meaningful Goals in Inpatient Psychiatric Care: Patient Perspectives Through the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

Abstract

Mental health care continues to shift toward a client-centered approach. Our study aimed to increase staff compliance with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and identify patient goal themes. Retrospective analysis showed 77% staff compliance, and 128 participants identified 377 COPM problems. Adult problems (n = 312) were 71% self-care, 14% productivity, and 15% leisure. Pediatric problems (n = 65) were 91% self-care, 1% productivity, and 8% leisure. Our study highlights the COPM’s ability to identify themes in inpatient psychiatric care, benefiting patients with mental illness. Despite limitations in assessing demographic information, our study found that meaningful changes can be achieved for most patients.