Standard functional goals.

Abstract

PROBLEM Establishing realistic short-term and long-term goals for patients is often difficult for physical therapists in rehabilitation settings. Traditional terms used to document patient progress, such as “increase in strength” or “increase in range of motion,” do not relate to the patient's functional ability in activities of daily living. Inconsistencies in documentation may occur in a large department with many therapists. At the New Jersey Rehabilitation Hospital, medical audit showed therapists recording some functional activities but not others and using different interpretations of terms such as “independent” or “able to with assistance.” SOLUTION By group process, the physical therapy staff established a functional assessment to standardize evaluation and documentation procedures across patient populations. Ten functional goals were determined from problems that are frequently encountered by patients (Figure).…