Abstract
The concepts of therapy-oriented and problem-oriented plans are discussed and their advantages and disadvantages considered. Goal-directed planning is proposed as an alternative to intuitive decision making. Goal-directed planning involves the abstraction of pivotal problems from a diagnostic formulation, the restatement of problems as goals, the selection of appropriate therapy, the designation of a target date, the stipulation of objectives, the selection of methods of evaluation and the monitoring of progress. Systematic goal-directed planning fosters teamwork, promotes accountability, obviates therapeutic drift and enhances outcome evaluation. Its chief disadvantage is its unfamiliarity.