“True healthcare reform springs from the capacity of individuals in a population to build self-care skills, improve their health behaviours and accept accountability for their health. It is not about giving motivation but inspiring it,” said William Applegate, PhD, executive director of Iowa Chronic Care Consortium in an issue of Medical Home News.
Lifestyle related chronic diseases account for as high as 83% of all deaths in Singapore.* One in three people are diagnosed with cancer. One in nine aged 18 to 69 years has diabetes – 440,000 in 2014 and expected to touch 1 million by 2050. One in three in that same age group are overweight, with one in 11 being obese in 2017. Everyday, 15 people die from cardiovascular disease. By 2020, number of dementia patients is expected to double to 45,000, where Alzheimer’s is the most common cause (50-60%).
The global figures are no less daunting. Globally, 79% of the total population has one chronic condition, of which 50% has two or more conditions. By year 2020, chronic disease will account for 75% of all deaths – 71% due to ischaemic heart disease, 75% due to stroke, 70% due to diabetes.**
True reform hinges on creating a healthcare culture that is focused on patient self-motivation through behavioral and inspirational support from qualified healthcare professionals. In other words, this means embracing health coaching.
A health coach is a supportive member of the care team who focuses on helping patients improve their overall health through lifestyle adaptations.
The good news is that many physicians and non-physician providers are starting to rely on health coaches and partnering with them to help connect the dots for an individual patient’s lifestyle and care plan.
The importance and value of a health coach is growing exponentially as the world faces rising healthcare costs and increasing accountability for quality outcomes. The more important reality of this data is that most chronic conditions can be prevented or improved dramatically by eliminating some of the major risk factors, such as diet, smoking, and exercise.
Health coaching encourages the individual to establish goals by focusing on self-management and intrinsic motivation. Health coaches contribute to successful outcomes in a number of ways, including:
- Partnering with clients to identify health goals
- Collaborating with and supporting healthcare providers in helping clients improve their health and well-being
- Facilitating the process of lifestyle change to prevent or ameliorate lifestyle-related diseases and optimize whole health and well-being
- Exploring and providing information, resources, and referrals to providers as appropriate
- Supporting client self-empowerment and activating clients to direct own path of healing
- Guiding population health processes and practices of the medical organization.
Find out more how YOU can become part of the indomitable force of Certified Health Coaches in Asia!
* Singapore Ministry of Health, Disease Burden
** World Health Organization, World Health Statistics 2019
“Unlike health fads that come and go, health coaching has strong evidence behind it backing its effectiveness for improving health and well-being. [Being] a health coach… you get to promote happiness, build resiliency, save people money, and help people live longer and and more fulfilling lives at the same time.“
– Dr Peter Grinspoon, Health coaching is effective. Should you try it, Harvard Medical School
