A simple method to enable patient-tailored treatment and to motivate the patient to change behaviour

Abstract

In clinical practice and in self-management studies it appears that it is very difficult to change behaviour in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in order to achieve adequate self-management. In this respect the role of motivational processes is underestimated and rarely is specifically targeted in interventions. In this article, the fundamentals of motivational processes are discussed followed by a detailed description of the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument (NCSI) method. The NCSI method is a simple method that enables patient-tailored treatment and to motivate patients to adhere to treatment goals. The NCSI method consists of three distinct but highly integrated components: (1) a short instrument measuring many details of health status; (2) an intervention that helps to identify individual treatment goals and to motivate the patient to change his behaviour; (3) an automated monitoring system that simply identifies patients with new problems in health status of self-management. All components are embedded in a web-based application which enhances simplicity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the NCSI method. The NCSI method is illustrated by a case study.

A Feasibility Study of Wearable Activity Monitors for Pre-Adolescent School-Age Children

“…However, this study population was small, and these results may lack generalizability. Further research is needed to determine the effect of personalized real-time feedback in health monitoring and behavior change (23,24). Researchers had additional challenges in using the Polar Active because of the online system (polargofit.com) required to format the devices.…”

The role of psychological factors in inflammatory rheumatic diseases: From burden to tailored treatment

“…In addition, this offers the possibility to personalize treatment to the specific characteristics of the individual patient. Using screening tools regularly (e.g., every 6 months) in standard care can significantly contribute to efficient and personalized patient care [85,87].…”

Incorporating Biopsychosocial Characteristics into Personalized Healthcare: A Clinical Approach

“…to initiate or motivate behavioral change) and by assessing the need of patients for additional psychological care. Feedback on a patient's functioning could be automated, for instance, by means of graphical patient profile charts which indicate in a visually clear and attractive way how patients are functioning in different areas, based on norm scores for that particular somatic condition or previous scores of the individual patient (see Peters et al [53] and Vercoulen [54] for an example). Using such paper-and-pencil and/or web-based screening tools regularly (e.g.…”

“…Using such paper-and-pencil and/or web-based screening tools regularly (e.g. every 6 months) in standard care can significantly contribute to efficient and personalized patient care [54]. With regard to the two case vignettes, regular screening of the reported problem areas will provide insight into their response to treatment and long-term maintenance of treatment benefits or relapse indicating renewed need for treatment.…”

“…social support, stigmatization), insight is gained into the magnitude of adjustment problems and symptoms, which indicates treatment priorities and patient motivation [50]. Screening instruments for assessing the physical, psychological and social functioning of patients with chronic somatic conditions consequently include both generic and condition-related tools, such as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale as a generic measure of general distress [51], and condition-specific measures of physical outcomes such as fatigue or itch [52,53,54]. Using such brief screening instruments for the two case vignettes described will provide insight into the severity of the anxiety and acceptance problems as well as of itch in case vignette 1 and of fatigue and depression in case vignette 2.…”