Health behaviour: Inspire yourself first, then the world
Frank Rasler
President Atlanta HealthCare Associates, USA
: J Nurs Patient Care
Abstract
Healthcare is overwhelmingly devoted to disease intervention rather than prevention, yet so much of what we treat is preventable. Nursing professionals in all fields advise their patients on changing unhealthy behaviour, yet often do not fully practice what they preach. If your own health habits are poor, or lack motivation to improve yourself, your ability and desire to inspire patients is minimized. For example, patients tend to ignore weight reduction information from an obese clinician. We need to inspire personal goals and find our unique enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle. Changing behaviour does not have to be difficult, it's just difficult to maintain. Negative visualization is an intense behaviour modification tool that can place you in an emergency room or critical care “near-death experience” to emphasize the reality of the risks we ignore, before it's too late.
Biography
Frank Rasler is an Atlanta Emergency Physician with 30 years of clinical care experience. He is experienced in behaviour modification and disease prevention, with training at Emory University and the C D C in Atlanta. Motivating healthy behaviour during a brief patient encounter has been a focus of his patient care.
