Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
General hospital patients' attitude towards systematic health risk behavior screening and intervention
Caroline Timm1, Filipa Krolo-Wicovsky2,3, Anika Tiede2,3
1Institute for Medical Psychology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther- Rathenau-Str. 48, D-17475, Greifswald, Germany. caroline.timm@stud.uni-greifswald.de.
Background:
Systematic counseling on behavioral health risk factors (HRFs) may be suitable to promote health among general hospital patients. This study aimed to investigate the openness of patients towards systematic screening and intervention of HRFs, its relation to actual participation in a multi-behavioral intervention, and whether socio-economic characteristics, HRFs and health indicators are related to approval.
Methods:
All 18- to 64-year-old patients hospitalized in five medical departments at the University Medicine Hospital Greifswald in Germany were asked between May and July 2022 to participate in a survey and in a subsequent pre-post intervention study. Among all eligible patients, 225 (78.9%) participated in the survey. Patients' approval of systematic screening and intervention of HRFs was assessed using five statements with a total sum score of 0-20 (i.e., scores of 0-6, 7-13, 14-20 referring to low, medium and high approval). Associations with intervention participation, socio-economic, behavioral and health-related patient characteristics were analyzed using logistic and multivariable linear regression analyses.
Results:
The mean total approval of screening and intervention was 13.8 (SD = 4.8). Of the 125/ 73/ 16 patients with high/ medium/ low approval, 88.0%/ 78.1%/ 50.0% participated in the subsequent intervention, respectively. Approval was independent of socio-demographic and -economic characteristics and self-rated general health. Current tobacco smoking was the only HRF negatively (p = 0.02) and diabetes mellitus was the only disease positively (p = 0.01) associated with approval.
Conclusion:
High approval of HRF screening, which was rather independent of socio-economic characteristics and worse self-rated general health, speaks in favor of proactively approaching and motivating all general hospital patients to participate in health behavior change intervention. Tobacco smokers might need higher efforts to motivate participation than non-smokers.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05365269 on May 9, 2022.
Related Concept Videos
Preventive Healthcare Services
Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System II: Health Perception Pattern
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Assessing Blood Pressure

