Does your valuable information fall on deaf ears?

Nancy Kennedy, MS, RD, Cardiac Rehab Dietitian, has a multimedia program for getting her message across.Helping people become healthier by improving their food intake is our main job as health professionals. Have you ever considered that the information you tell a client has fallen on deaf ears? The lecture style of teaching, which is so common in our profession is not the best method for many people.When you  know a lot about a topic and are eager to share your knowledge it is only natural to fall into the “talk” mode. Example: “Mary, I see the only fruit you eat is your orange juice in the morning. You need to increase your consumption of fruit to three servings per day. And that ice cream you are having at night, why not switch to the frozen yogurt?” The dietitian has taken ownership of Mary’s nutrition problems. We need to give the client control.A better scenario would be, “Mary, I see the only fruit you eat is your orange juice in the morning. You can improve the fiber in your diet by eating more fruit. How do you think you could include more fruit in your diet?” (You may want to include a brief description of what fiber is here and why it is important.)Mary could tell you orally, or you could have her write it down on a goal sheet. My goal sheets include a contract to perform a certain behavior and I have the client lists specific ways to do it. The goal sheets include rewards too!It is important to ask clients how they like to learn when they come in for their initial interview. In my job as a cardiopulmonary rehab educator, we offer our patients the choice of videos, books, written materials, one-on-one counseling or lecture format with group discussions. Depending on their response, their educational program is designed accordingly.The staff has outlined objectives that need to be accomplished for each possible patient risk factor. These are discussed with the patients while they are exercising and then depending on how they prefer learning, they are given written materials, a book, a video or information about an upcoming lecture. Sometimes more in-depth one-on-one counseling is necessary. When the patients bring back their video, log etc., it is an opportunity for the staff to discuss the topic, answer questions for them and assess if behavior changes are being made. Positive reinforcement is ALWAYS given for even the slightest improvement in a health behavior.As health professionals, we have the training and expertise in our subject matter. Translating that information in ways that will help client’s change their behavior is the supreme challenge!