goals of care
Patient care objectives
Goals of care are the medical outcomes a patient wants to prioritize, especially when facing serious illness.
The term appears in healthcare settings where treatment options involve tradeoffs—extending life versus maximizing comfort, pursuing aggressive intervention versus accepting palliative approaches.
The doctor scheduled a goals of care conversation with the family.
These discussions help align treatment decisions with patient values.
- advance directiveDocumented future healthcare preferences
- palliativeOffering relief, not remedy
- pain managementReducing patient suffering medically
- hospiceTerminal illness comfort program
- DNREnd-of-life medical directive
full code · wishes · prognosis · quality of life · family meeting · end-of-life · natural death · letting go · treatment plan · autonomy · dignity · suffering · intervention · resuscitation · intubation · feeding tube · values · conversation