Table 2-5.

Evidence-Based Healthcare Systems Approaches to Support and Facilitate Improvements in Health Behaviors and Health Factors^11–15

Electronic systems for scheduling and tracking initial visits and regular follow-up contacts for behavior change and treatments. Electronic medical records systems to help assess, track, and report on specific health behaviors (diet, PA, tobacco, body weight) and health factors (BP, cholesterol, glucose), as well as to provide feedback and the latest guidelines to providers. Practical paper or electronic toolkits for assessment of key health behaviors and health factors, including during, before, and after provider visits. Electronic systems to facilitate provision of feedback to patients on their progress during behavior change and other treatment efforts. Education and ongoing training for providers on evidence-based behavior change strategies, as well as the most relevant behavioral targets, including training on relevant ethnic and cultural issues. Integrated systems to provide coordinated care by multidisciplinary teams of providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dieticians, PA specialists, and social workers. Reimbursement guidelines and incentives that reward efforts to change health behaviors and health factors. Restructuring of practice goals and quality benchmarks to incorporate health behavior (diet, PA, tobacco, body weight) and health factor (BP, cholesterol, glucose) interventions and targets for both primary and secondary prevention.

BP indicates blood pressure; PA, physical activity.