Why is it important to document treatment goals and objectives?
Documentation of treatment goals and objectives is important because treatments may not succeed, the patient’s condition may worsen, unexpected complications may occur, the diagnosis may change, or the patient may never fully regain his or her previous level of health or function despite resolution of the ACOC. Knowing the patient’s wishes whether these are expressed directly by the patient himself or herself or on the patient’s behalf by family members or surrogates is very important. If not done beforehand, the practitioner should inform the patient, family, and/or surrogate of the possible treatment options and of the reasons why specific interventions such as hospitalization may or may not be considered appropriate. Facilities should implement systems for identifying patient wishes and incorporating them into care plans. Practitioners should provide relevant orders in a timely fashion to implement any requested care limitations (e.g., “Do Not Resuscitate,” “Do Not Hospitalize,” etc
