Effective long-term e-health coaching requires an empathic relationship: A qualitative interview study

24^th World Nursing and Healthcare Conference

September 13-15, 2018 | Copenhagen, Denmark

Carl J Brandt

University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Adv Practice Nurs

Abstract :

Background: We have shown that collaborative e-health can produce long-term lifestyle change, but the effect depends on effective and skilled healthcare professionals. How healthcare professionals perceive delivering asynchronous e-health coaching and which determinants are important to deliver successful long-term lifestyle coaching has only been briefly explored and needs to be explored. Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze how healthcare professionals perceive e-health coaching and to explore how certain determinants can influence successful long-term lifestyle change for patients undergoing hybrid e-health coaching using a collaborative e-health solution. Methods: Ten healthcare professionals were recruited by purposive sampling who all had more than six months of experience providing e-health lifestyle coaching using a combination of face-to-face meetings and asynchronous e-health coaching. We performed individual, qualitative, semi-structured, in-depth interviews in their workplace about their experience with health coaching in relation to lifestyle change. Results: The healthcare professionals all found asynchronous e-health lifestyle coaching to be fundamentally different challenge from face-to-face coaching. The major reason was that unlike typical in-person encounters in healthcare did not receive immediate feedback from the patients. The respondents identified and reflected on four themes important to them: (1) combining face-to-face coaching with e-health coaching, (2) reflexion in asynchronous e-health coaching, (3) finding realistic goals based on personal barriers, and (4) being personal, staying connected and communicating in a non-judgemental manner. Conclusion: Establishing and maintaining an empathic relationship is probably the sole most important factor for successful subsequent e-health coaching.

Biography :