How can you help patients set realistic health goals?

The more realistic our patients' health goals are, the greater the likelihood is that they will be able to be met within a specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant time frame. In this case, the possibility that we can help our patients to feel empowered while realizing their true worth, potential, and capability will be more apparent than ever before. When it comes to keeping their disease processes from negatively impacting their perceived quality of life, our patients benefit from knowing that they possess the ability to advocate for themselves through healthy lifestyles and behaviors.

It depends upon what you mean by realistic. Clearly if someone is confined to a wheelchair you are not going to expect them to run a marathon; or if they weigh 400 pounds you are not going to expect them to lose 100 in a week. However, when people use the term realistic and health goals in the same sentence, it is usually an excuse not to be disciplined to do the things they need to do to improve their health. A common one I have heard in my practice is, Doc vegetables are too expensive. Those same people can afford alcohol, cigarettes, iPhones, the latest smart TV. And often they will afford junk food from the Fast food restaurants. Let's face it, discipline is required to achieve any goal. Health goals are no different.

As an advanced practice nurse practitioner and healthcare leader, I understand just how important setting realistic health goals are in helping patients achieve sustainable progress in their wellness journey. One of the best ways that we can achieve this is by setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to help patients create clear and actionable objectives that are easy to follow. By introducing and incorporating SMART goals with your patients, it will not only help them set realistic health goals but also maximize their chances of success.

To optimise the use of resources it’s essential to set realistic goal based on demographics, expertise available resources…..

Goal setting is important in any professional or personal goals. This helps to remain focused and to create and determine steps to take a long the way to reach those goals.

We can gain a clear picture into what constitutes a reasonable health goal in the eyes of our patients by asking meaningful questions that aim to understand where our patients are at in a deeper sense than simply their physical health. Understanding what motivates our patients from a psychological standpoint is essential in the provision of high-quality, individualized, and patient-centered nursing care.

Using motivational interviewing techniques with open ended questions will help you assess your patient's readiness for change. Take a collaborative approach to developing goals. While your goal as a clinician may be to get them to a certain milestone, the client may have a different goal in mind. For example, you may want the patient to lose 30lbs to improve their overall health, yet the patient may be interested in losing 15lbs to fit into her favorite dress. You can discuss her goals and work towards them. Once she accomplishes her goal, the momentum may carry her forward to lose the additional 15lbs as she sees her success.

Before setting goals, it is important to assess your current state and where you would like to be. Writing those goals down can help to make them real and actionable.

As a public health nurse with almost 10 years of experience working closely with the underserved populations of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, it is important to realize that we must meet our patients halfway when establishing realistic health goals for the management of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, as well as when working to improve behavioral health and mental health outcomes at the bedside. An empathetic, mindful, and emotionally intelligent attitude is necessary if we want to work cohesively with our patients, while improving their overall outlook on their reality, as well as their understanding of their disease process and their power to make positive changes.

I try to determine whether the goal is something they genuinely want to work on or if they think they “should” do something about (e.g., weight loss because of stigmatization). Thereafter, I assess their locus of control which explores the extent the person believes that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over their health outcomes. I also assess their belief in their capacity to attain their goals (self-efficacy). The goal-focused work centers around the transtheoretical model of health behavior change which acknowledges challenges, such as relapse, are frequent and offers strategies to help people work through that. If needed, include others with the needed expertise in the process to fully support the individual.

One way to monitor and evaluate your patients' progress using medication reminder service for medication management is to track their adherence rates and clinical outcomes. Adherence rates can be measured by the number of reminders sent, received, and confirmed by the patients, as well as the number of missed or skipped doses. Clinical outcomes can be assessed by the changes in the patients' symptoms, quality of life, and satisfaction with the service. By comparing these metrics over time, you can evaluate the effectiveness of the medication reminder service and identify areas for improvement.

Using a S.M.A.R.T. format to establish, monitor, and evaluate the progress of our patients' overall health status from a goal-oriented standpoint is extremely useful when caring for our patients, both at the bedside and out in the community. Our patients' health goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic/relevant, and specified within a specific time frame in order to clearly evaluate what works and what doesn't, as well as what we need to do differently to allow for our patients to feel empowered and capable as they advocate for their personal well-being.

After setting goals, it is important to set timeframes that are desired to reach them. There should also be intervals to follow up on the goals to check in on the status and progress.

Overcoming challenges and setbacks is an integral part of any journey toward achieving one's health goals. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, it is important to encourage patients to adopt a positive outlook and view setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than failures. As healthcare partners, we must remind our patients that setbacks are a natural part of the process and can provide valuable lessons for future success.