7.5.0 Care Goal

QDM defines Care Goal as a defined target or measure to be achieved in the process of patient care, that is, an expected outcome. A typical goal is expressed as a change in status expected at a defined future time. That change can be an observation represented by other QDM categories (diagnostic tests, laboratory tests, symptoms, etc.) scheduled for some time in the future and with a particular value. A goal can be found in the plan of care (care plan), the structure used by many stakeholders to define the management actions for the various conditions, problems, or issues identified for the target of the plan. This structure, through which the goals and care-planning actions and processes can be organized, planned, communicated, and checked for completion, is represented in QDM as a Record Artifact in which Care Goal is found.