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Shared goals of care

A doctor and patient shaking hands in a medical center waiting room. The doctor is wearing a light blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the patient has a bright red jacket on. Both are smiling. There is tapa cloth on the wall behind them.

Shared goals of care are when clinicians, patients and whānau explore patients’ values, the care and treatment options available and agree the goal of care for the current admission and if the patient deteriorates.

Health service providers need to take a systems-level approach to shared goals of care to ensure these discussions occur with patients and whānau and are in line with their Te Tiriti o Waitangi responsibilities. The shared goals of care principles described here will help to guide providers in doing this. 

A pacific woman wearing a red jacket sitting with a Māori doctor in his office. He is working through a medication chart with her.

The principles outline what is required for providers to have shared goals of care discussions with adult patients and their whānau.

They may also be applied to other patient groups, for example, children, upon further exploration of the experiences of those involved.

We held national workshops in late 2017 and early 2018 with key stakeholders, including consumers and in late 2018 we established a multidisciplinary working group to develop a national approach. The group has met several times to develop draft principles and a draft shared goals of care form for testing. The principles have been developed through literature review, lived experience, expert opinion and testing with two (then) district health boards. They are primarily written for use by hospitals but may be applicable in other settings.


Why shared goals of care are important

When shared goals provide the basis for clinical treatment plans, there is less risk of a patient receiving unwanted or unwarranted treatments which is especially important if their condition deteriorates.

Evidence shows that engaging patients and whānau results in better health and care outcomes. The patient and whānau are more likely to feel valued and involved in their treatment, and their experience in hospital is better.

Providing excellent clinical care underpins clinicians’ values and drives their work ethic. Valuing shared goals of care discussions should become part of this care provision by all clinicians and links closely with choosing wisely. For some, this may mean a change in practice. It can be difficult and confronting to have these discussions but the outcomes warrant having them. There are guides and training that can help with these discussions, for example, the Serious Illness Conversation Guide.

Clinicians who communicate effectively, through sharing information and listening to seek understanding, can draw out patients’ values and preferences for care. This forms the basis for informed decisions about complex medical treatment options, should the patient’s condition deteriorate.

Read the case for change here. This document contains information about recognising and responding to acute deterioration and the importance of having shared goals of care discussions with patients and their whānau.


When shared goals of care discussions should take place

Shared goals of care are best explored when a patient is well, for example outpatient or when planning treatment or investigations are ideal settings to start these conversations.

However during an unplanned episode of care shared goals of care discussions should take place early- before episodes of acute deterioration so everyone can engage fully without the pressures of an evolving clinical crisis. Discussions should be documented with all adult patients, ideally within 24 hours of admission and be reviewed and documented during the admission if there are changes in the patient’s condition. If patients have advance care plans and/or advance directives, these need to support the discussion.

The discussion may be straightforward and brief if the patient and whānau understand the clinical situation, and therefore may be appropriately discussed on admission or on a ward round. For others, the situation may be more complicated and involve several discussions before a decision can be made. Through listening, clinicians will be able to pick up subtle cues from patients and whānau that indicate more time may be needed for these discussions.


Current status

MidCentral and Waitematā district s tested the draft principles and form between October 2019 and March 2020. They used the draft principles to prepare for testing and the form as an example of how to document the discussion and decision has been informed by their testing.

As part of our response to COVID-19, we have made shared goals of care forms, along with related factsheets, available for hospitals and aged residential care facilities on the talkingCOVID webpages.

From May 2021 we will be holding four regional workshops to assist district s in the implementation of the principles of shared goals of care. Following the workshop district project teams will work to plan their implementation and sustainability of shared goals of care and the linkages to other important information that helps inform discussions and decisions, such as advanced care plans.


Get in touch

Please let us know if you require any assistance (we are available by phone or Zoom, or you can email us at info@hqsc.govt.nz).


Resources available


Related Resources

ARC-specific resources


It has never been more important to understand what matters most to your residents and their whānau, to be prepared for any future change in their health and to know what their priorities, concerns and preferences might be if their health did deteriorate.

In addition to the resources elsewhere on this webpage, we have developed some specific aged residential care resources to support you and other staff working in ARC to use the Serious Illness Conversation Guide and capture any shared goals of care for residents


When to have shared goals of care discussions

Shared goals of care discussions are part of the overall assessment and planning for residents.

We recommend that you aim to have this discussion during the first two or three weeks of a resident’s stay as part of the admission process and development of their long-term plan.

The discussion is not a one-off discussion. It would be ideal to revisit the shared goals of care decision with the resident and whānau as part of regular care plan reviews or where there has been a significant change in the resident’s health.

We recommend that shared goals of care discussions are led by a senior clinician after they have gathered as much information as possible from the wider care team working with the resident.


Demonstration video

We have created a 25-minute-long video demonstrating how to prepare for, talk about and capture goals of care for your residents. This demonstration video is just one example of a shared goals of care discussion. We created this example using Zoom as we were under COVID level 3 at the time of recording. Ideally these discussions would take place in person.

We have used the Aotearoa Serious Illness Conversation Guide to support this shared goals of care discussion.

This video is a supplement to the Serious Illness Conversation Guide training video and we recommend that before you watch this ARC video that you watch the Serious Illness Conversation Guide communications skills training video and have copies of the Aotearoa Serious Illness Conversation Guide and ARC shared goals of care form in front of you.

Serious Illness Conversation Guide and shared goals of care in aged residential care (video: 25.43mins)


ARC shared goals of care form

We have created an ARC-specific shared goals of care form, to capture the discussion and document the shared goals of care for residents.

Shared goals of care aged residential care form (fillable PDF)

There are two fact sheets that will help you with this form:

Fact sheet for nurses and Allied health workers supporting shared goals of care decisions (PDF)

Fact sheet for clinicians responsible for the shared goals of care decisions in aged residential care (PDF)

The form is a fillable PDF you can add your facility’s logo to. If you do use it and want to save it as a final version that cannot be edited, you will need to 'Print to PDF' before you save or share it. See the PDF below for instructions on how to do that.

How to save a final version of an electronic shared goals of care form using the Print to PDF function


Relevant resources