Health and Behavior
Techniques to Facilitate Change in Patients

CONTACT HOURS: 2

Copyright © 2022 Wild Iris Medical Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BY: 

Adrianne E. Avillion, DEd, MSN, RN; Persis Mary Hamilton, EdD, MSN, BSN, PHN, PMHN

LEARNING OUTCOME AND OBJECTIVES:  

  • Explain the concept of a change agent.
  • Discuss outcome-driven change.
  • Describe the stages of the Transtheoretical (Stages of Change) Model.
  • Explain various other models of change.
  • Identify factors affecting an individual’s ability to change.
  • Describe communication techniques that healthcare professionals use to facilitate behavioral change.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Introduction
  • The Clinician as Change Agent
  • Outcome-Driven Change
  • Theories and Models of Change
  • Factors Affecting Change
  • Communication Techniques for Facilitating Change
  • Conclusion
  • Resources
  • References

INTRODUCTION


Changing a behavior and forming new habits are hard to accomplish, and healthcare professionals are often frustrated when patients do not follow medical advice or treatment recommendations. It may be difficult to understand the reluctance or unwillingness of a patient to make important changes that have been shown to improve health and well-being, especially after healthcare professionals have repeatedly stressed the importance of doing so. In the United States, for example:

  • Only about 50% of patients who leave a healthcare setting with a prescription for medication take the medication as directed. The most common reasons given for not adhering to medication regimens are denial of illness, lack of knowledge about the benefits of taking the medication, and cost.
  • At least 61% of patients with schizophrenia, 57% of patients with bipolar disorder, and 52% of patients with depression had problems with adherence to their treatment regimens.
  • Nonadherence is believed to result in 125,000 deaths due to cardiovascular disorders each year.
  • If patients adhered to their drug regimens, up to 23% of nursing home admissions, 10% of hospital admissions, many physician visits, many diagnostic tests, and many unnecessary treatments could be avoided.
  • In 2020, almost 70% of adults who smoke said they want to quit, but only 3 in 5 adults who ever smoked have successfully quit. It is not easy to stop smoking due to withdrawal symptoms (e.g., irritability, trouble concentrating) and daily activities associated with smoking (e.g., drinking coffee in the morning, during social situations where others are smoking).
    (CDC, 2022a, 2022b; Lynch, 2019; Malik et al., 2020; Surgeon General, 2020)