Beyond the Consultation

Helping people turn medical advice into daily habits

Every day, thousands of people leave a doctor's office or a hospital genuinely determined to take better care of themselves.  Yet weeks later many find themselves slipping back into familiar routines, not because they don't care, but because turning good intentions into ongoing habits is much harder than it sounds.

Decades of research shows that nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management and social connection all play an important role in preventing and managing many chronic diseases.  And yes, knowing there are levers we can control to improve our daily wellbeing and overall health is positive and empowering.  But it is often not enough to get us to take action. 

For most of us, the confusing variety of options and the weight of today’s demands push our more difficult plans to the bottom of our to-do lists.  On top of that, it can take a lifetime to build up our everyday habits.  So we don’t change them easily when the doctor asks us to, or even because we know that we would probably feel better IF… 

Consider someone diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  They leave hospital with medication, a leaflet about nutrition and a recommendation to exercise more.  They're motivated - but also overwhelmed.  Which foods?  How much exercise?  What comes first?  Two weeks later life has taken over and very little has changed.  They really want to, but when we’re not sure where to start or what to do, it’s easier to put it off to attend to what is obvious and pressing right now.

Hospitals and medical centres are an intersection between our daily lives and our health and wellbeing.  This is where most of us go when we need help.  Therefore this is an ideal platform for lifestyle education and support, across the spectrum of prevention, preparation for surgery and adherence - meeting people where they are, at a time when they are open to the possibility of change.

Imagine every patient with diabetes, heart disease, obesity or preparing for surgery being offered a structured lifestyle support programme alongside their medical care.  Imagine if we improved their quality of life, while also reducing their long-term risks?  What would the knock-on impacts be for families, neighbourhoods and communities?

Hospitals work hard to provide excellent medical care, yet much of what determines long-term recovery happens after the patient leaves the consultation room.  Making it a norm to support people to implement medical advice may be one of the greatest opportunities we have to improve health outcomes.

"The key - if you want to build habits that last - is to join a group where the desired behaviour is the normal behaviour."

James Clear

It would be relatively easy to pilot a support programme to measure the results in order to verify and refine the approach over time.  Like with any habit change, the important thing is to take the first step and expand from there.  What could this look like?

As a health and wellness coach passionate about how everyday choices have the power to create transformation, I would love to see a collaboration between medical administrators, medical practitioners, health coaches, and of course patients.  Administrators create the environment that provides access to health services and promotes recovery.  Doctors diagnose, prescribe and guide treatment to return the patient to good health.  Health coaches help people to build energy and wellbeing by changing their habits and also by translating medical advice into their day-to-day reality.  Patients want to feel well enough to enjoy life, pursue what matters to them and spend less time worrying about their health.  Together, we have the ingredients to bring about a real change in how individuals engage in their own health.

If we do it effectively, we would win at all levels.  Hospitals would see better recovery and fewer complications or readmissions, which means more satisfied customers and potentially lower costs over time.  Doctors would get to see patients go from strength to strength under their care more consistently as their advice actually takes root.  Patients would find it easier to prioritise their health. Who can predict what the knock-on impact of that would be in joy, in experiences, in relationships in the long term…?

As I said earlier, we don't struggle because we lack information. We struggle because turning information into daily habits is hard.  So this is not about making more work for the doctors, who are doing their part already.  This is about discharging patients with the prescriptions and recommendations they normally receive, along with a referral to a specially designed support programme.

For instance, a patient might attend six weekly small-group sessions where the health coach provides practical resources, helps them set achievable goals and build one sustainable habit at a time.  These weekly sessions would provide a no-judgment, interactive space where they are guided to think constructively about how to translate advice into action in their personal context, where they are encouraged and held accountable and, importantly, where they get to ask questions and share ideas as they connect with others facing similar challenges.  In the collaboration we would measure patient outcomes ongoing to learn and improve the programme offering.

Practical guidance may mean, for example: Simple and specific steps to eat more healthily without going on a diet Realistic ways to increase daily movement Creating a good sleep routine Becoming more resilient given the inevitability of stress Checking in on progress and overcoming obstacles

What is stopping us?  We already have world-class research and medical knowledge.  We know that lifestyle profoundly influences health.  We know that lasting behaviour change is difficult to achieve alone.  Perhaps the next evolution of healthcare is less about medicine and disease, and more about support for people to enable them to put all the research and medical knowledge into practice in their every day.

Could hospitals become places where treatment and lifestyle support work side by side to ignite a positive and lasting shift in our health?

If you work in healthcare and believe patients deserve more support in turning medical advice into lasting habits, I'd love to start a conversation.  Whether you're a hospital leader, clinician, allied health professional or health coach, perhaps together we can explore what a pilot programme could look like in practice.

"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things." Mother Teresa