Health and community professionals play an important role
It is well documented that health and community professionals are in a key position and can play an important role in encouraging and supporting clients to make positive lifestyle changes and can help to reduce or manage preventable health problems in Australia. As part of routine practice, health professionals hold a duty of care to clients to address their smoking, alcohol misuse, unhealthy eating and weight, and lack of physical activity (Harris et al, 2005).
Positive outcomes follow when clients are involved in decision making
Research shows that when health professionals involve their patients in decision making, positive outcomes followed. Their “patients showed improved maintenance of healthy behaviour change, greater satisfaction, better adherence to medication, better physical and mental health, and fewer healthcare visits…” (Williams et al, 2000).
Employees, who participate in professional training and development, strengthen their skills, knowledge and expertise. They feel more equipped to support their clients; their knowledge gaps are filled, and as a result, their motivation, confidence and productivity increases.
Participation in smoking cessation training
The 2012 Cochrane Collaboration review* and other literature reviews, provide strong evidence that offering smoking cessation training to health and community professionals is effective and a crucial element in supporting their smoking clients to quit. When health care providers take part in tailored smoking cessation training, it improves their skills and confidence in increasing smoking cessation activity amongst their clients. That is, clients make more attempts to quit/cut down because their health care provider has raised their smoking with them (Carson et al 2012).
The Cochrane library is part of the Cochrane Collaboration which provides the best evidence for health care. Their work is internationally recognised as the benchmark for high quality information about the effectiveness of health care.
References
Carson KV, Verbiest MEA, Crone MR, Brinn MP, Esterman AJ, Assendelft WJJ & Smith BJ. (2012). Training health professionals in smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD000214. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000214.pub2.
Harris M, Hobbs C, Powell Davies C, Simpson S, Bernard D & Stubbs A (2005). Implementation of a SNAP intervention in two divisions of general practice: a feasibility study. Medical Journal of Australia;183(10 suppl.):S54–8. Available from:http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_10_211105/har10603_fm.html
Williams G, Frankell, R, Campbell, T & Deci E (2000). Research on relationship-centred care and healthcare outcomes from the Rochester biopsychosocial program: a self-determination theory integration. Families, Systems & Health (APA, Washington DC), Vol 18, No.1 (2000).
