Goal Attainment Scaling: An Experience in Implementation.

The process of implementing Goal Attainment Scaling at the Reno Veterans' Administration Center Mental Health Service, where it had never been employed and where most of the staff had never heard of the technique, is described. The difficulties of introducing a unique measurement instrument such as Goal Attainment Scaling into an existing system are presented, together with the theoretical issues surrounding the use of Goal Attainment Scaling and the many practical problems that arise with any attempt to implement innovations in existing systems. This report describes in detail the method of implementation, the specific problems encountered, and the actions taken in response to those problems. The concluding section provides an account, based on follow-up interviews, of the overwhelming positive response of the patients to the implementation of Goal Attainment Scaling. (Author)