Addressing Patient Health Behavior Through Applied Health Behavior Theory and Motivational Interviewing Techniques

This webinar addresses a critical gap in modern healthcare: the need for providers to effectively support patients in making sustainable behavior changes. The course is grounded in the reality that preventable deaths in the United States are primarily caused by modifiable health behaviors, yet many patients struggle to implement lasting lifestyle changes despite understanding the need to do so.

The course introduces participants to foundational health behavior theories and Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based communication technique. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, effective health communication is essential to health and well-being. By combining behavioral theory with MI techniques, clinicians can improve their communication skills and help patients make informed health-related decisions through strategies like teach-back and shared decision-making.

Participants will explore the non-communicable diseases that significantly impact patient morbidity, mortality, and disability, and learn to identify behavioral theories applicable in clinical and community settings. The course also addresses common barriers to lifestyle change, including patient ambivalence, provider cognitive bias, and peer pressure, equipping clinicians with practical tools to navigate these challenges.

• •Become familiar with the non-communicable diseases that impact patient morbidity, mortality, and disability and identify the most common behavioral theories that can be applied in clinical and community settings
• •List common barriers to lifestyle change such as patient ambivalence, provider cognitive bias, and peer pressure
• •Express and apply the basic communication structure used in Motivational Interviewing