Impact of repeated health behavior counseling on women portraying an overweight standardized patient

Objective: To investigate the influence of participation in a health behavior counseling (HBC) case by examining standardized patients\u27 real-life attitudes and behaviors toward nutrition and physical activity habits. Methods: Focus group sessions were held with 10 standardized patients who regularly participated in the HBC case. Emergent themes were identified using grounded theory data analysis. Results: Standardized patients reported how participation with role playing in the HBC case prompted personal lifestyle changes. Changes occurred through increased awareness and motivation to make adjustments to health habits, such as exercise and improved food choices. Conclusions and Implications: The HBC model can be an effective method for helping patients to recognize the need to take action and implement positive lifestyle changes. © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior

A first‐year leadership programme for medical students

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152529/1/tct13005.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152529/2/tct13005_am.pd

Standardized Patient Instructor (SPI) interactions are a viable way to teach medical students about health behavior counseling

Objectives: We explored comfort levels of third-year medical (M3) students through two health behavior counseling (HBC) interactions with Standardized Patient Instructors (SPIs) in tobacco cessation (TCC) and nutrition and physical activity (NPA). Methods: Nearly 200 M3s participated in two SPI HBC interactions; including a role-play interview and subsequent feedback session on performance. Students completed a 5-point Likert scale evaluation measuring pre- and post-comfort level on two HBC sessions. Results: Both interactions resulted in statistically significant increases in student\u27s pre- and post-interaction comfort levels. A paired-sample t-test revealed a mean increase of 0.91 for TCC (t = 14.01, df. = 197, p\u3c 0.001), and a mean increase of 0.69 for NPA (t = 12.65, df. = 198, p\u3c 0.001). Conclusion: The use of SPIs is a viable approach to exposing medical students and future doctors to health behavior counseling, and increasing comfort level with such skills. The SPI experience ensures that HBC opportunities are available and contain meaningful feedback on performance. Practice implications: Encouraging patient behavior modification is a skill that can be developed during undergraduate medical training. Combining HBC with SPI sessions and traditional learning approaches could prove effective in a curriculum intended to teach students strategies that improve patient health behavior. © 2010