Using action plans to help primary care patients adopt healthy behaviors: a descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Behavioral Science
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Action plans, agreements for specific patient behavior changes, are a potential tool for clinicians.
• Understanding the feasibility and patient adherence to action plans in primary care is crucial for their implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of patients creating action plans during primary care visits.
• To determine if patients report executing their self-set behavior change action plans.
• To describe the types of action plans patients select.

Main Methods:

• Clinicians (n=43) across 8 primary care sites engaged patients in action-plan discussions.
• Patients were telephonically surveyed 3 weeks post-visit by research assistants to assess action plan completion.

Main Results:

• 83% of enrolled patients (228) developed an action plan during their primary care visit.
• Of those recalling the plan (79%), 56% remembered specifics, and 33% recalled general details.
• At least 53% of patients who made an action plan reported achieving a consistent behavior change.

Conclusions:

• A majority of patients reported successfully modifying their behavior based on primary care action plans.
• Action plans appear to be a viable strategy for encouraging patient behavior change within primary care settings.