Hikaru Takarada, MS, OTR, Toshihiro Honke, PhD, OTR
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 16: 1-8, 2025
Objective: In rehabilitation, goals expected to have an
effect on aspects of psychology, such as promoting
participation in the program and reducing anxiety, are
set between the patient and the therapist. This study
aimed to compare and test the short-term effects of
goal setting on such psychological aspects in an
experimental group, in which the therapist selected the
highest priority goals proposed by the patient, and a
control group, in which the goals were proposed by
the therapist.
Methods: Between October 2023 and March 2024, 88
stroke survivors were admitted to the Kaifukuki
Rehabilitation Ward, of whom 32 met the inclusion
criteria. The patients were divided into two groups: a
goal-setting group in which the patient chose the
highest priority goal (experimental group: n=17) and
a goal-setting group in which the patient agreed with
the goal proposed by the therapist (control group: n=15). The primary outcome was treatment engagement
in rehabilitation, and the secondary outcomes were
anxiety/depression and mental health scores.
Results: Outcomes improved in both groups after goal
setting. Between-group comparisons showed a
significant improvement in treatment engagement in
the experimental group (p < 0.001). The sample size
required for the randomized controlled trial was 46
participants in each group.
Conclusion: In the short term, treatment engagement
was influenced by the patient's consideration and
choice of priority goals.
Key words: goal setting, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapists, psychological effects