Dr. Smak wonders why doctor’s aren’t educated in behavior change.
It doesn’t matter how much information you throw at a patient if the advice isn’t followed.
Changing behavior takes time, with more intensive follow-up requirements. Perhaps the medical home model can help, where nurses can call and ensure patients are compliant with treatment recommendations.
As it stands now, physicians mostly practice alone in small practices. There is no incentive nor support to spend the necessary effort to modify patient behavior.
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{ 2 comments }
I believe behavior change is very labor intensive and if your not going to be reimbursed for the efforts then it hard to keep trying to induce it.
Patient support groups might be key part of the solution here.
Making changes can also be very hard when you don’t have much energy which makes it harder to be self disciplined, to plan, to follow thru, etc. I have sleep apnea and it’s extremely hard to lose weight when I’m still tired in spite of complying with cpap…
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