Introduction: Individual behaviour plays a central role both in the maintenance of health and the prevention of illness. At the primary level of healthcare activity and beyond innovative approaches are needed for facing the challenges associated with greater patient confidentiality, decision-making and lifestyle change in order to improve health outcomes while reducing the cost of health care. In recent years a new approach called health coaching has been introduced in the healthcare sector of some countries. Purpose: To introduce health coaching, conducted by a nurse, based on current scientific and technical literature. Methods of work: A review of scientific and tehnical literature and various resources of health coaching was used. The search was limited to Slovene and English language, published between 2007-2017. The inclusion criteria was: accessibility, content suitability and up-to-date findings. Results: Via content analysis of 40 units of scientific and technical literature, three thematic areas of health coaching were identified: models, including cognitive, integrative and decision coaching; management support, communication, competencies and development that belong to the fields of use; working with the patient regarding chronic disease, pain, self-care, and prevention. Discussion and conclusion: Health coaching gives knowledge and the necessary skills to nurses and thus a unique opportunity to engage individuals in their efforts to achieve better empowerment. A nurse can also use health coaching to motivate employees, to discover their ambivalence towards changes in lifestyle that may be influencing their health. Coaching skills can be used to carry out actions that have long-lasting positive effects in promoting health, reducing risk factors and healthcare costs. Researches of health coaching are marked by differences in methodologies and lack of conceptual clarity. The effectiveness of health coaching depends on the use of techniques during coaching, the theoretical foundation of the lesson, the frequency and duration of the meeting, the presence of the patient, the content of treatment and the professional background of the nurse-health coach. The field of health coaching in Slovenia has not been developed yet.
|