How do I write SMART goals in a nursing care plan?
- Expert answer
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The question
My care plan feedback said my goals were not measurable. One of them was 'patient will have improved mobility'. How specific does it need to be?
Short answer
A goal must say who will do what, to what standard, and by when, so anyone reading it can tell whether it has been met. 'Improved mobility' cannot be checked. 'Mr A will walk 10 metres to the bathroom with a frame and one nurse by day 3' can.
Full expert answer
Nursing lecturer
RN, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
The test for any care plan goal is whether two different nurses would agree on whether it had been achieved. If they could disagree, it is not yet measurable.
The five parts
- Specific: name the activity, such as walking to the bathroom rather than mobility
- Measurable: a distance, a score, a frequency or a clinical value
- Achievable: realistic for this patient's condition and baseline
- Relevant: linked to the problem identified in the assessment
- Time-bound: a date or a number of days, with a review point
Rewriting your example
Start from the assessment finding. If the patient currently needs two staff to transfer and cannot walk, a goal might be: 'Mr A will walk 10 metres from bed to bathroom using a walking frame with the assistance of one nurse by day 3 post-operatively.' Then list the interventions that will get him there, each with a rationale drawn from evidence.
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