Goal-setting and personalization under the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework: Community reintegration program for post-stroke patients.
Mabel Ngai-Kiu Wong, Horace Tong, Mike Kwun-Ting Cheung and 5 others
PMID 37600161WHAT IT FOUND
Post-stroke patients shifted from setting vague goals like 'walking better' to specific, environment-based goals like 'using the subway' after goal-setting with therapists.
This suggests that prompting patients to describe their real-life contexts early in rehab helps them define more meaningful and achievable targets for community reintegration.
Key findings
01Patients initially set goals focused on body functions or activities, but by discharge, goals became more specific and linked to environmental factors like public transport and social settings.
02The goal-setting process itself, particularly the interaction with therapists, was described by patients and staff as the key factor that helped patients move from vague deficits to concrete, context-based life goals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a qualitative study; it reports on patient and therapist perceptions of the process, not on whether the intervention improved clinical outcomes like mobility or independence. The study did not include a control group, so it is impossible to know if the changes in goals were due to the ICF framework or simply the passage of time and usual rehabilitation. The sample was small and recruited from a single non-governmental organization, which may limit how broadly these findings apply to other healthcare settings. Patient goals were self-reported and categorized by researchers, which introduces subjectivity in how goals were mapped to ICF domains.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Human Subjects Ethics Sub-committee of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this program improved patient function. The study only describes how patients' goals changed during the process; it provides no evidence that the ICF-based approach led to better physical, cognitive, or social outcomes compared to standard care.