Healthy lifestyle conversations are challenging for healthcare professionals
General practitioners are short on time, and nurses don’t want to offend patients
New research has identified four strategies that promote healthy living conversations
(1) Select the right environment – a private area is ideal for a one-on-one conversation
(2) Focus on patient needs, not desired outcomes
(3) Talk about healthy practices during routine visits
(4) Build a rapport with patients to encourage broader health discussions
These strategies make it easier for any healthcare professional to deliver healthy lifestyle interventions
But more information is needed on patient perspectives about lifestyle conversations
Keyworth et al. (2019). Healthcare professionals' barriers and enablers to providing opportunistic behaviour change interventions during routine medical consultations. Br J Health Psychol