Counselling on lifestyle factors in hypertension care after training on the stages of change model

Background: In assisting the nurse's counselling on lifestyle changes in hypertension care a behaviour model can be used. Aim: To analyse the effects of nurses' training on the use of the stages of change model when counselling hypertensive patients to perform lifestyle changes. Methods: As part of a randomised, controlled trial, 19 nurses belonging to the intervention group took part in video-recorded consultation training with simulated patients. To evaluate the training, the nurses audio-recorded their consultations with two patients before and after the intervention. Analysis focused on the areas of non-pharmacological treatment and the nurses' attention to the patients' readiness for change. Results: Patient participation in the consultations increased after the training. The importance of non-pharmacological treatment was mentioned more frequently for all areas of lifestyle behaviour, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, food and stress, and the nurses acquired a more distinct structure for their consultations. The mean length of the recorded consultations increased from 18 min to 20.5 min. All the criteria for fulfillment of attention to patient's readiness to change were met in nine consultations before the training and in seven after it. After the training, attention was paid to support more frequently than before in the action and maintenance stages and a great deal of information was provided.