Evidence for Action Planning
In a study in primary care settings in the US (half were private practice, or insured patients and half were in safety net practice, tending to be lower socio-economic status patients), 83% make a plan. Of the 227 who made a plan, 86% (195) of them remembered the plan. Of those who made and remembered their plans, 2/3 (66%) did at least part of it. This means out of everyone who made a plan, 56% did part of their plan. This is comparable results to prescribed medications (Handley M et. al.)
This is data we have collected for BAP in a small tracking project. This is data from a primary care internist in a practice serving a diverse community in New York City, including refugees. If you are in a primary care clinic and you see 20 patients a day, and 50% of the time, you ask people if they would like to make a plan, of those 10 patients
- 25% will not be ready or not need help or are healthy (2 pts.)
- 25% will need advanced skills
- 25% will need a behavioral menu or problem solving
- 25% will easily make a plan
Handley M, et. al. Using Action Plans to Help Primary Care Patients Adopt Healthy Behaviors: A Descriptive Study. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2006;19(3):224-231.
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