Translating Health Coaching Training into Clinical Practice

Abstract

Health coaching can benefit people with managing chronic conditions. It considers people’s motivations, is person-centred and has the capacity to promote healthy lifestyles and address chronic disease risk factors. However, how health coaching training is translated into routine clinical practice at unit and service levels has been under explored. A metropolitan local health district in Sydney, Australia provided coaching training to health professionals, but the extent to which coaching skills were translated into clinical practice was unknown. A redesign methodology was used to identify barriers and facilitators for training-to-practice translation. Survey and workshop findings indicated that participants were satisfied with the coaching training but found it challenging to apply in clinical practice. Identified opportunities to support the application of health coaching were tailored practical training, post training support, and consensus on the definition of health coaching. Solutions were to develop an internal practical training program, use consistent terminology, and embed organisational support. Adoption of health coaching needs to occur on three levels; individual, workplace and organisation to ensure effective health care delivery. This case study demonstrates the importance of evaluation and diagnostics of contextual barriers and enablers to inform translation into practice.