To be included in the final review, articles had to
satisfy 4 inclusion criteria on full text review: (1) the
title or abstract had to contain the phrase ‘‘goals of
care,’’ ‘‘goal-directed,’’ ‘‘goals of treatment,’’ ‘‘goalsetting,’’
or a similar goal-related phrase or the article
had to be judged clearly relevant by title; (2) the title
or abstract had to contain some reference to patient
care or treatment; (3) the article had to include 2 or
more goals of care; and (4) the article had to address
end-of-life care, geriatric care, or the treatment of
chronic or life-threatening illness. So long as the
inclusion criteria were satisfied, all types of articles
(reviews, empirical studies, editorials/commentaries,
case reports, and personal narratives) were included.
We used this inclusive approach in light of the paucity
of original investigations about goals of care and
to capture the spectrum and content of goals of care
in the literature irrespective of their origins