Behavior Change of Healthcare Professionals and Practitioners - Term Paper Example

Overview Healthcare professionals and practitioners are constantly worried about behavior change to the extent that it has formed the basis of evaluation and analysis in the recent past. Simply put, behavior change is any modification or interference of the normal functioning of an individual to the extent that there is a total deviation experienced. There are theories that explain and give a deeper understanding about behavior change. These changes occur in different forms. The understanding of the behavior change can be understood based on the arguments behind every theory (Riekert, Ockene & Pbert, 2014 p. 5). Behavior change theories Self-efficacy This is a theory that has been used far and wide by professionals in the health profession. The ability of an individual to perform a challenging and involving task and bring out results is the essence of self-efficacy theory. An individual’s ability to perform a challenging task may be motivated by past engagements in similar tasks. There are a number of factors that surround the self-efficacy theory. One has to put some effort in performing a task that is perceived to be challenging. Pundits argue that the theory is quite predictable to the extent that an individual’s effort directed towards performing a task can be analyzed, evaluated and verified. To this extent, behavior change can be traced and reasons for change verified (Burbank & Riebe, 2002 p. 56). Social cognitive theory This theory has got unique insights behind it. An individual’s wellbeing, the environment and behavioral issues are major factors of change. Every of the individual elements are cannot stand alone, neither can they operate in isolation of the other to bring about change. In essence, it means that what happens in the environment is likely to affect a person's perception of a particular individual (Diclemente, Salazar & Crosby, 2013 p. 23). The perceptions posed by the individual are quite likely to affect the behavior of an individual; hence, behavior change. What happens in the environment may to a large extent affect the individual’s well-being. This means that the person adapts to the actions and operations that take place in the environment. The reverse of the elements affects each one in very unique ways. This theory is theory depends on the individual interconnectedness of the individual factors. Reasoned action People have various reasons why they perform certain actions. While it can never be independently verified the reason behind a given action, the individual is best placed to state the basis of whatever action. The intension of the individual underscores the basis of any action. This theory considers the fact that before an action is performed, there should be reasoning behind it. Simply put, actions are performed based on some reason. The perception of the individual informs the basis of intensions. However, the most critical in this theory is the perceptions and however they shape behavior to the extent to which a person gives a reaction (Gochman, 1997 p. 145). Learning theories This theory has all to do with the learning of an individual. In behavior, there are simple behaviors and the complex ones. There is, however, no interrelatedness on the simplicity or complexity of behaviors. They are independent, but one leads to the other. The thought behind the theory is that to learn the complex issues, one has to be conversant with the simple ones first. What follows is the gradual but steady learning of the complex activities. It is critical to note that the basic idea behind this theory is the gradual learning of the simplest activities to the complex activities. Behavior change is effected when a complete cycle is achieved. This in essence means that change from simple to complex behaviors influences change. It is on the basis of this theory that a basic understanding can be derived about the learning process and how much they are able to bring about a complete turn around in the life of a person (Simons-Morton, Mcleroy & Wendel, 2012 p. 21). Client assessment Recently, a mother received a health visitor who found her in a rather disturbing condition. The mother was obese and appeared to be tired in almost all occasions. Her condition seemed to have been replicated to her twin children. Consciously or unconsciously, the mother seemed to have passed on the eating habit to the kids. This was a disturbing scenario that warranted some investigation (Latner & Wilson, 2007 p. 18). The twins were fed on large portions and very unhealthy meals. This led to them being overweight to the extent that they were developing the obese features possessed by their mother. An in-depth investigation proved the worst fears that the health visitor had. The mother fed the babies with similar foodstuffs she fed on. Fatty foods like fried potatoes and crisps were some of the meals the mother fed on the same were given to the kids (Luker, 2012 p. 16). The mother was obviously not alive to the adverse effects of such eating habits. The twins being obese would prove to be a challenge to her and the kids. The essence of investigation and asking questions was based on the issues surrounding the sudden turn around on the eating habits. Behavior change with respect to the eating habits of the mother and by extension, to the kids was a major point of concern and therefore, investigated. Understanding the dynamics surrounding the sudden change in the eating habits of the mother would best be put into perspective by employing behavior change theories to unravel the ministries behind the eating habits (Diclemente, 2006 p. 34). Early intervention This mother together with the kids would have prevented the situation if they had the basic knowledge about the effects of their condition. Poor eating habits are not healthy for anyone in whatever state. In this case, it would be very critical for early intervention methods to be instated in order to help the family to come out of a rather challenging situation. Some of the health effects of obesity are diabetes, asthma, obstructive sleep and cardiovascular related complications. Early interventions are critical in the sense that they discontinue a negative health implication. In the case of the mother who is obese, it would be necessary to change the eating habits as a corrective measure. The introduction of foods that are less in fats and rich in nutritional value would be very helpful for the mother. The twin kids should also be put on a different diet (Allen, 2011 p. 20). The mother should also be put under some practice to help in reducing the fats that have accumulated in the body (Hagger & Chatzisarantis, 2007 p. 8). Consequently, there should be a counseling session to help her understand why it is healthy to have a proper diet both for her and the kids. Interventions have some challenges that are faced. For people who are obese, the social stigma may prevent them from seeking help. Some of the closest people may not have a concern for what is going on and the condition may be perceived to be normal. This is a serious affront to execution of a health plan to an individual who has health issues. The essence of early intervention is to find out the root cause of the problem and the necessary steps that are appropriate to alleviating the condition (Holroyd, 2008 p. 4). Background of effective approaches and treatment The change of life is very critical in offering treatment to a person. At times, there is a need to have prevention measures that curing. In essence, it means that a well choreographed has to be put in place in order to meet the purpose or objective of the study. An effective treatment means that the client gets satisfactory treatment from a designed program as appropriate to the extent that it beats the purpose of its implementation. To adopt an effective treatment procedure, the there must be a correct understanding of the situation as it is. It is informative to have the correct diagnosis before implementing any program. The effectiveness of the program depends on how well the problem in question is understood. When a diagnosis is correctly defined, offering the best set of health solution becomes of the essence. However, it is critical to note that having a wrong understanding of the problem could prove to be tragic in the sense that the correct diagnosis may not be realized. The behavior changes must be understood based on their influence and how much they are able to affect an individual’s wellbeing. The basic starting point understands the background of the change effected. When the changes are correctly identified, it becomes easy to understand the next course of action. Skills to help clients engage in behavior change Motivational interviewing Motivational interviewing is the most critical aspect of ensuring that clients engage in behavior change. Case in point is that by having a talk with one who has the urge to undergo through some behavior change people are able to gain fresh insights as to what is expected of them. Therefore, the most important is the process of counseling (Rosengren, 2009 p. 65). The essence of getting information from a person is the first step towards helping a person. The information the client’s gives can be used to come up with plans that could be of help to the client. While the client is the person seeking help, it is incumbent upon the person to have initiatives to realize the change that is required. In motivational counseling, the person should not be promoted or forced to give information. It should be based on a willing base (Miller & Rollnick, 2013 p. 2). It must be understood that the person who seeks the change best institutes change. The work of the professional is to help the person realize the essence of change. When change comes as a personal commitment from the client, it becomes effective and viable. In the event that there is unwilling from the client, change becomes illusive (Thornbory, 2009 p. 65). A professional should, therefore, be very understanding and ready to listen to the client all the way. There should be a critical analysis of the individual behavior and the content of the information coming from the client. To this end, it is critical to note that change depends on the willingness of an individual to allow the change process (O'Donnell, 2002 p. 31). Solution based therapy The underlying factors in solution-based therapy are very unique and dynamic. Change is bound to occur no matter the circumstance and therefore is a constant phenomenon. This means that change cannot be stopped, but can only be allowed to chat its own course. In solution-based theory, the client is the most important person (Sklare, 2005 p. 12). This means that from the client, the professional is able to draw an outline that forms the basis of therapy. Without the client, it becomes difficult to draw out solutions that bring about change. Under this program, clients are well able to define their own agenda and amicability. They only need to have self-discovery and belief in order to realize this. In essence, it is from the information from the clients that a professional counselor is able to draw solutions that forms the basis of helping the person. Under this program, the present becomes the focus and not the past. The present phenomenon forms the basis for which change is effected. A set of questions are asked for the purpose of finding information that help in defining the basis over which solutions are brought into effect. Through the different steps, it is correct to note that clients are after change, and that explains the reason why a person would seek help to effect some change. Under this program, the client is the backbone of the program (Martin & Dimatteo, 2010 p. 32). Cognitive behavior therapy The basic understanding behind this form of therapy is based on how an individual thinks about self, other people and the surrounding. It is also informative to note that an individual’s perception can change the behavior of a person (O'Donohue & Fisher, 2008 p. 24). This means that what one is thinking about is a direct influence of behavior. It therefore means that the individual is the change factor. What happens in the outside environment is well able to change a person's behavior and to an extension the character (Foreman & Pollard, 2011 p. 13). Therapy in this sense involves defining g the problems into smaller components and solving them based on what the individual thinks about the situation or self. The thought of the individual cannot be written off as they form the basis of drafting solutions. Solving one problem forms an important basis for solving the rest of the problems. This form of therapy helps to deal with situations that deal with anxiety and tendencies of depression. People who feel differently about themselves are able to get help through this form of therapy (Barkway, 2009 p. 15). Approaches to assessment strategies To assess a situation correctly, one should be able to be critical and analytical in looking at different situations presented. When choreographing solutions, the most important issues are that there would be positive outcomes out of the drafted solutions. To this extent, to have a proper assessment strategy, one has to be able to critically identify and analyze two solutions that are alike and determine whether there has been progress (Valente, 2002 p. 78). Seeking feedback from some a program is another assessment method. Through the feedbacks, it is quite possible to determine whether there has been some significant change. Above all, the person doing the assessment has to be critical in evaluating the situations presented for assessment. Change can be very hard to realize, but it depends on how well the solutions are drafted. Assessment is effective when checked against the proposed solutions (Chapman & King, 2005 p. 45). Bibliography: Allen, G. (2011). Early intervention: the next steps: an independent report to Her Majesty's Government. [London?, UK], TSO (The Stationery Office). Barkway, P. (2009). Psychology for health professionals. Sydney, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.127 Burbank, P. M., & Riebe, D. (2002). Promoting exercise and behavior change in older adults: interventions with the transtheoretical model. New York, Springer. Chapman, C., & King, R. M. (2005). Differentiated assessment strategies: one tool doesn't fit all. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Corwin Press. Diclemente, C. C. (2006). Addiction and change: how addictions develop and addicted people recover. New York, Guilford Press. Diclemente, R. J., Salazar, L. F., & Crosby, R. A. (2013). Health behavior theory for public health: principles, foundations, and applications. Burlington, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Foreman, E. I., & Pollard, C. (2011). CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy a practical guide. London, Icon Books. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nl abk&AN=387552. Gochman, D. S. (1997). Handbook of health behavior research. New York, Plenum Press.142 Holroyd, H. J. (2008). Stop obesity: an answer to the problem of obesity and its complications. Bloomington, IN, AuthorHouse. Hagger, M., & Chatzisarantis, N. (2007). The social psychology of exercise and sport. Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd. https://webapps.cit.ecu.edu.au/eblauth/index.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.EC U.eblib.com.au%2FEBLWeb%2Fpatron%2F%3Ftarget%3Dpatron%26extendedid% 3DE_233567_0%26userid%3D%5Eu.23 Luker, K. A., ORR, J., & Mchugh, G. A. (2012). Health visiting: a rediscovery. Chichester, West Sussex, UK, Wiley-Blackwell. Latner, J. D., & Wilson, G. T. (2007). Self-help approaches for obesity and eating disorders: research and practice. New York, Guilford Press. Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: helping people change. New York, NY, Guilford Press. Martin, L. R., haskard-zolnierek, K. B., & Dimatteo, M. R. (2010). Health behavior change and treatment adherence: evidence-based guidelines for improving healthcare. Oxford, Oxford University Press.120 O'Donnell, M. P. (2002). Health promotion in the workplace. Albany, Delmar Thomson Learning.192 O'Donohue, W. T., & Fisher, J. E. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy applying empirically supported techniques in your practice. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10307580. Rosengren, D. B. (2009). Building motivational interviewing skills: a practitioner workbook. New York, Guilford Press. Riekert, K. A., Ockene, J. K., & Pbert, L. (2014). Handbook of health behavior change. Simons-Morton, B. G., Mcleroy, K. R., & Wendel, M. L. (2012). Behavior theory in health promotion practice and research. Burlington, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Sklare, G. B. (2005). Brief counseling that works: a solution-focused approach for school counselors and administrators. Thousand Oaks, Corwin Press. Thornbory, G. (2009). Public health nursing a textbook for health visitors, school nurses and occupational health nurses. Chichester, West Sussex, Wiley-Blackwell. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nl abk&AN=587993. Valente, T. W. (2002). Evaluating health promotion programs. New York, Oxford University Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=n labk&AN=160776.20 Read More