Evaluation of a Goal Attainment Program using the Goal Attainment Scale for Psychiatric In-patients in vocational rehabilitation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bacon F.L. Ng, | Hector W.H. Tsang,

Affiliations: Occupational Therapy Department, Castle Peak Hospital, 15 Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong | Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the newly developed clinical protocol ``Goal Attainment Program'' to assist psychiatric in-patients in Hong Kong to formulate realistic life goals, with a view to shortening their length of stay and motivating them to join in work rehabilitation. The Goal Attainment Scale for Psychiatric In-patients was validated and used to evaluate the change in life goals after attending the four-session Goal Attainment Program. The validated 10-item version of the Goal Attainment Scale for Psychiatric In-patients (GASPI-10) was found to have good inter-rater reliability (\rho _{I} ranged from 0.64 to 0.88,p < 0.01; N = 26) and internal consistency (\alpha of rater 1 = 0.92, rater2 = 0.87, N = 26). Twenty-five chronic psychiatric in-patients of Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong completed the Goal Attainment Program and were assessed using a pre and post-test quasi-experimental design. The T-score computation of GASPI-10 indicated that 92% improvement in goal attainment. Some 92% and 72% discharge after completion of the program. The overall results of this study verified the effectiveness of the Goal Attainment Program in instilling hope in chronic patients with schizophrenia and the use of the Goal Attainment Scale in documenting patients' progress.

Keywords: goal attainment, hope, vocational rehabilitation

Journal: Work, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 209-216, 2000