Nurse consultation support to primary care practices to increase delivery of health behavior services

Received 10 September 2007; received in revised form 25 February 2008; accepted 28 February 2008. published online 15 January 2009.

Abstract

Tobacco use, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and alcohol use are the key preventable causes of death in the United States. This study tested the use of nurses as consultants to primary care practices to assist practice clinicians and staff in identifying and carrying out plans to help their adult patients improve these health behaviors. A pre–post chart audit was conducted, and 17 of 20 practices (85%, p = <.01) increased documentation of health behavior delivery a mean absolute increase of 5.5% after the intervention. Nurse consultation may be an effective strategy to increase health behavior delivery to patients in primary care.

a Department of Family Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

b Order of Saint Francis Medical Group, Escanaba, MI 49829, USA

c Health and Disease Management, Genesys Health System, Grand Blanc, MI 48439, USA

d Medical Division, Genesys Physician Hospital Organization, Flint, MI 48502, USA

e Marquette Family Medicine Residency, Marquette General Health System, Marquette, MI 49855, USA

f English Language Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

g Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 517 884 0432; fax: +1 517 355 7700.

PII: S0897-1897(08)00008-6

doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2008.02.003

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