GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING - QUALITATIVE ANA LYSIS AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES WITH 397 COURSES OF PSYCHIATRIC-TREATMENT

Goal attainment scaling (GAS) measures outcome dependent on the degree , to which patients attain, what was thought to be their potential. Ca n this method be simplified by giving up to detail in advance, what wo uld be ''much more'' and ''much less'' than the expected outcome? In 3 39 psychiatric treatment courses of inpatients, GAS was compared with a traditional dining rating. The patients did least agree to goals, th eir therapists wrote down concerning ''social contacts'' and ''coping' '. The simplified form of GAS turned out to be more vulnerable to wron g prognoses. The influence of the vocational experience of those, who constructed the scales was tested as well. Despite methodological shor tcomings GAS has evident therapeutic qualities: how else can we evalua te, how much of their potential our patients realize?