Talking to Patients and Questions Patients May Ask

Useful tips on how to speak with your patients:

There are ways you can speak to patients about their weight. You can find tips from the article “Teaching Patients About Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Communication is the First Step”:

Screen patients. If an initial conversation isn’t taking place, healthy eating habits won’t follow. To begin the conversation, calculate their BMI, communicate it to them, and talk about what it means.
Enter the conversation in non-judgmental way. Saying something short and simple that conveys your concern for their weight (blood sugar or cholesterol) is the best way to approach the subject.
Try motivational interviewing (reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64964/ )
Help them learn about nutrition science – and how to distill it down (reference: http://www.eatright.org )
Build strong relationships with dieticians and refer patients to them.
Be a role model. Research shows that patients take advice from doctors who practice healthy behaviors themselves.
Don’t forget to talk about physical activity (reference: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity )

Additional questions that your patients may be asked during the survey includes:

Have you ever had a bone density test to check for osteoporosis?
Have you ever had one or more pneumonia shots?
Did your provider talk to you about falling, or problems with balance or walking?
If you use tobacco, how often were you advised to quit smoking or using tobacco by a health provider?
Have you ever talked to a provider about urine leakage?
Have you had a flu shot this year?
Did anyone on your care team talk to you about specific goals for your health?
Did anyone on your care team talk to you about things in your life that cause you to worry or stress?
Did anyone on your care team ask if there was a period of time when you felt sad, empty, or depressed?
How often did someone from this provider’s office talk about all the prescription medicines you were taking?

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