Individualized therapy goals and treatment efficacy - a follow-up study one year after inpatient psychotherapy

Quality management of inpatient psychotherapy must integrate the different aspects of process-quality management as well as the evaluation of treatment outcome. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of the achievement of individually arranged and continuously re-evaluated therapy goals with symptomatic measures of treatment outcome (SCL-90-R, Giessener Beschwerde Bogen). 51 inpatient subjects were assessed directly before and after treatment and again at approximately 1 year after treatment (mean range 14.7 months). Therapy goal achievement was assessed on a weekly basis and, in addition, globally at the end of treatment. Pre/post- treatment results remained stabile at the follow-up assessment (SCL-90-R GSI effect size: 1.2). No significant association was found between therapy goal achievement and the degree of improvement of symptoms. This result leads us to the conclusion that the continuous evaluation of therapy goals during treatment seems to be a good instrument for quality management, but it is not suitable for the evaluation of treatment outcome.