Table I.

Creating goal attainment scaling (GAS) to assess outcome: steps adapted from Ottenbacher & Cusick (33)

Step
Step 1	Identify an overall (general) objective.
Step 2	Identify specific problem areas that should be addressed.
Step 3	Specifically identify what behaviours or events would indicate improvement in each of the areas selected in Step 2.
Step 4	Determine the methodology that will be used to collect the desired information.
Step 5	Select the expected level of performance (0 level).
Step 6	Identify the most favourable outcome (+2), the least favourable outcome (–2) and intermediate levels (+1 and –1) of the client’s performance (GAS levels).
Step 7	Verify whether there are overlapping levels, gaps between levels, or more than 1 indicator in a problem area and so on (see GAS checklist).
Step 8	Verify the client’s current status and determine the timing of future evaluations to document progress.