Assessing stability between treatment planning documents in a system of care.

Two studies were performed to examine the presence and stability of specific recommendations for treatment practices in a system of care. Study 1 evaluated the reliability of an instrument designed to quantify specific elements of treatment planning documents. Study 2 used reliably coded data from Study 1 to assess stability of treatment practices and targets across the treatment planning process. This study indicated a generally low level of agreement of between documents, with many specific recommendations being dropped between stages of planning. The implications of these findings and the potential for future research are discussed.