The best way to motivate patients to make positive lifestyle changes is to first see things from the perspectives of the patients. Patients, just like doctors or health practitioners, differ according to personalities, abilities, preferences, and lifestyles. As such, motivating patients to make positive lifestyle changes require spending “less time directing patients what to do and spend more time asking and listening are likelier to motivate patients to change health-related behaviors” (Rollnick, et al., 2005; cited in American Medical Association, 2013, p. 1). Likewise, there are tendencies for medical practitioner to provide patients with negative messages that would entice fear and anxieties for patients in the hope of instilling the need to change their current lifestyles. As learned, “researchers at Cornell found that the general public tends to be more motivated by positive things they can do to prevent health problems than by fear-based messaging. Hopeful messages that highlight the bright-side are inspiring” . For instance, if there is a need to motivate the patient to stop smoking; rather than emphasizing the negative impact of smoking which highlight the manner by which the vice compromises health, doctors and health practitioners could focus on the benefits, such as living longer and more productive lives with loved ones, as well as saving a lot of money which could be spent in other activities that the patients would have wanted to undertake, such as taking a vacation or travel abroad.
In sum, motivating patients to make positive lifestyle changes require focusing on the rewards, rather than the punishments or penalties. Likewise, offering guidance and responsible coaching to patients were deemed to be more effective than directing them to immediately change. Medical practitioners should realize that making behavioral and lifestyle changes take time. Therefore, helping patients through providing appropriate guiding procedures for the postive lifestyle change would be highly appreciated.
References
American Medical Association. (2013, February 18). Motivating patients to make wise choices. Retrieved from amednews.com: http://www.amednews.com/article/20130218/profession/130219951/4/
Bergland, C. (2015, January 30). What Motivates People to Make Healthier Lifestyle Choices? Retrieved from psychologytoday.com: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201501/what-motivates-people-make-healthier-lifestyle-choices
Rollnick, S., Butler, C. C., McCambridge, J., Kinnersley, P., Elwyn, G., & Resnicow, K. (2005). Consultations about changing behaviour. BMJ, Vol. 331, 961-963.
