Case Studies: Person-Centered Health Coaching in People With Negative Social Determinants of Health.

Social determinants of health are the conditions in the environment that influence health outcomes, such as housing, transportation, and neighborhoods. In this report, we examine 3 cases of participants with social risk factors who participated in a health coaching intervention study. The study was a science-based, nurse health coaching model provided to older adult participants in a Midwestern state designed to equip and empower them to achieve and maintain their health and optimum function to support independent living at home. The program was an 8-week virtual coaching method using weekly, 30-minute, 2-way video coaching sessions with participants. For each of the 3 cases, we describe the patterns of engagement, early and later health goals as coaching progressed, and the types of outcomes achieved. From these case studies, we illustrate how social determinants may affect the types of goals, processes, and potential outcomes achieved by participants of health coaching programs. From these insights, we propose directions in health policy and services and future research considerations.

A randomized trial of a theory-driven model of health coaching for older adults: short-term and sustained outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Healthy Lifetime, a theoretically driven, personalized health coaching program delivered electronically, including face-to-face videoconferencing, was developed to intervene in early aging to stave off functional decline and minimize the onset/exacerbation of chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of a theoretically driven, personalized health coaching program in participants 50 years and older with one or more chronic conditions using a randomized, controlled, pragmatic clinical trial methodology. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to the HL (n = 59) or a usual care (n = 63) group. The HL group received health coaching from a trained nurse over eight weeks. Outcomes were measured at baseline, eight weeks, and 20 weeks (after the 12-week no-treatment phase). Regression modeling with fixed-effect repeated measures was used to account for the longitudinal data collection. RESULTS: For the HL group, health habits increased at 8 weeks (3.1 units; SE = 1.0; p = .0005; effect size = .15). This difference was sustained at 20 weeks (2.4 units, SE = 0.2; p = .0005). Independent self-care agency improved at 8 weeks in individuals with high blood pressure (13.5 units; SE = 4.37; p = .0023; effect size = .3). However, that difference was not sustained at 20 weeks (p = .47). No significant improvements were shown in the usual care group at 8 weeks or 20 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: HL participants significantly improved their health habits at 8 weeks and sustained this improvement at week 20 (after a 12-week no-treatment phase) vs. the usual care group. Changing health habits alone has been shown to reduce all-cause morbidity and mortality in chronic disease. The high-functioning, community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases we studied is an important target population for primary care practices to intervene early in aging to stave off the complications of chronic disease and functional decline. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (record NCT05070923, 07/10/2021).

Healthy Lifetime (HL): An Internet-Based Behavioral Health Coaching Protocol for Older Adults.

By 2060, the number of Americans 65 years and older will more than double, comprising nearly one-quarter of the population in the United States. While there are many advantages to living longer, a byproduct of aging is also a growing incidence of chronic illness and functional health limitations associated with a concurrent rise in chronic disease and disability that impair independent living in the community. We describe a personalized, behavioral health coaching protocol for early intervention that is delivered online to enhance a participant's independent functioning and to increase their self-care capacity with a goal to maintain independent living throughout aging. The electronic platform provides secure access to fillable surveys, health tracking, "just in time" communication with coaches and scheduling of two-way videos launched from the platform site. The 2-month protocol used two-way video conferencing which allowed high fidelity communication to sustain a complex behavioral intervention. Participants indicate high satisfaction with the intervention, the use of the platform, and the technology. While many health systems across the U.S. have ramped up virtual delivery of care in a proactive manner with now more than 70% of out-patient visits conducted through virtual delivery modes in some health systems, there remains much unevenness in this capability across the U.S. Our approach is to create a stable, interoperable, virtual outreach system for personalized professional health coaching that is complementary to medically oriented services that supports the health and functioning of participants as they age.

The Impact of Nurse Health-Coaching Strategies on Cognitive-Behavioral Outcomes in Older Adults.

The practice of nurse health coaching (NHC) draws from the art and science of nursing, behavioral sciences, and evidence-based health-coaching methods. This secondary analysis of the audio-recorded natural language of participants during NHC sessions of our recent 8-week RCT evaluates improvement over time in cognitive−behavioral outcomes: change talk, resiliency, self-efficacy/independent agency, insight and pattern recognition, and building towards sustainability. We developed a measurement tool for coding, Indicators of Health Behavior Change (IHBC), that was designed to allow trained health-coach experts to assess the presence and frequency of the indicators in the natural language content of participants. We used a two-step method for randomly selecting the 20 min audio-recorded session that was analyzed at each time point. Fifty-six participants had high-quality audio recordings of the NHC sessions. Twelve participants were placed in the social determinants of health (SDH) group based on the following: low income (

The Healthy Ageing Model: health behaviour change for older adults.

Proposed is a model of primary care for older adults with chronic health conditions that focuses on active engagement in health care. The Healthy Ageing Model is anchored in established theory on motivation and health behaviour change. The model draws on empirical and applied clinical underpinnings in such diverse areas as health promotion and education, treatment of addictions or obesity, management of chronic diseases, goal-setting, and coaching techniques. The conceptual foundation for the Healthy Ageing Model is described first, followed by a brief description of the key characteristics of the model. In conclusion, suggestions are offered for the clinical application and for further developing the model.

Initial efficacy of MI, TTM tailoring and HRI's with multiple behaviors for employee health promotion.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to compare the initial efficacy of Motivational Interviewing (MI), Online Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-tailored communications and a brief Health Risk Intervention (HRI) on four health risk factors (inactivity, BMI, stress and smoking) in a worksite sample. METHOD: A randomized clinical trial assigned employees to one of three recruitment strategies and one of the three treatments. The treatment protocol included an HRI session for everyone and in addition either a recommended three TTM online sessions or three MI in person or telephone sessions over 6 months. At the initial post-treatment assessment at 6 months, groups were compared on the percentage who had progressed from at risk to taking effective action on each of the four risks. RESULTS: Compared to the HRI only group, the MI and TTM groups had significantly more participants in the Action stage for exercise and effective stress management and significantly fewer risk behaviors at 6 months. MI and TTM group outcomes were not different. CONCLUSION: This was the first study to demonstrate that MI and online TTM could produce significant multiple behavior changes. Future research will examine the long-term impacts of each treatment, their cost effectiveness, effects on productivity and quality of life and process variables mediating outcomes.

Best practices initiative: nurturing partnerships that promote change.

As the science of nursing continues to evolve, efforts to develop strategies to integrate nursing research into clinical practice are increasing. To address the gap between research findings and the use of these findings to improve practice, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing established the Best Practices Initiative in conjunction with three clinical partners, all in the Pacific Northwest: a large Veterans Affairs medical center, a large health maintenance organization, and a state agency that oversees health care for older adults. This article presents the Best Practices Initiative Partnership Model, some of the lessons learned about partnering with clinical agencies, and an overview of the projects that involved each partner.

Remote wound care consultation for nursing homes: using a web-based assessment and care planning tool.

Pressure ulcers represent a particular challenge in long-term care (LTC) facilities, where many frail older adults with reduced mobility reside. Guidelines for preventing and treating pressure ulcers have existed for many years; however, nurses in LTC facilities do not always use best practices in pressure ulcer care. In this article, the authors report on the development and pilot testing of a Web-based pressure ulcer management tool used for remote consultation in LTC.

Managing chronic, nonhealing wounds using a research-based protocol.

The physical, emotional, and financial costs of caring for patients with chronic, nonhealing leg wounds are substantial. In fiscal year 2001, the home care department of a large Veterans Affairs medical center in the Pacific Northwest spent nearly half of its annual budget on veterans needing wound care. In this article, the authors describe a practice improvement project designed to improve the wound care management of homebound veterans with chronic, nonhealing lower extremity wounds using a research-based protocol and consultation by a certified wound care specialist, as well as the effect of this program on home care expenditures.

Healthy aging demonstration project: nurse coaching for behavior change in older adults.

The Healthy Aging Project (HAP) tested nurse coaching as a method to support healthy behavior change in older adults. The sample included 111 individuals randomized to a nurse coaching group or usual-care control group. Participants in the intervention group chose the health behaviors they wanted to change and received coaching by nurses in a single in-person session followed by telephone calls or email contact for 6 months. Nurses were trained in motivational interviewing (MI). The intervention group had significantly less illness intrusiveness and health distress than the control group at 6 months, although it is not known whether these health outcomes resulted from behavior changes. This clinical demonstration project showed that nurse-delivered MI, primarily using the telephone and email, is a feasible method to discuss behavioral change with older adults. However, future clinical trials will be needed to evaluate the efficacy of nurse-delivered MI on actual behavioral changes in older adults.

Issues affecting the health of older citizens: meeting the challenge.

The health of older Americans will become a critical national policy issue during this century. As the population of older adults increases dramatically, there are few signs that adequate resources are available to meet the challenge of providing health care and good quality of life for older adults and their families. A fundamental change in the values emphasized in the American culture, and in other cultures, will be required to change the present health care system from one which focuses on diagnosis and treatment of disease to a system that attends to the major issues that affect quality of life of older adults and their families. This article discusses four critical areas influencing the quality of life of older Americans: providing resources to individuals to help manage chronic medical conditions, assuring a sufficient number of primary health care providers educated in geriatrics and gerontology, removing financial barriers to accessing health care and medications, and changing the American cultural value system that emphasizes disease treatment over providing emotional, educational, and support resources. To make these profound changes in the formal health care system, health care providers, health care organizations, and policy makers must commit to embracing the importance of quality of life as an integral component of health care for older citizens.

A challenge to meet the future: nursing education in Oregon, 2010.

Nursing leadership in Oregon has united behind a plan to address the nursing shortage, setting forth five strategic goals. Two of these are specific to nursing education--to double enrollment by 2004 and redesign nursing education to more directly meet the changing health care needs of Oregonians. This article describes the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council plan and the processes used to develop it. Controversial issues, challenges, and future directions also are discussed.

Caregiver education and support: results of a multi-site pilot in an HMO.

Caregiver workshops were offered to members by a group practice HMO as part of a larger demonstration of adding community care to HMO services. Of 1,200 members indicating interest at four sites, 532 participated in workshops and 320 completed pre- and post-questionnaires on effectiveness. Analyses showed improvements in caregiving preparedness and reductions in sadness and depression. Engagement in the workshops (completing 3 or more sessions) and improvements were more likely for individuals with more independent lives and social capital. Alternative helping strategies are recommended for caregivers who are less likely to engage in classes due to burden or lack of respite or transportation.