چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background:Health coaching is a new intervention offering a one-on-one focused self-management support program.
This study implemented a health coaching pilot in primary care clinics in Eastern Ontario, Canada to evaluate the
feasibility and acceptability of integrating health coaching into primary care for patients who were either at risk for or
diagnosed with diabetes.
Methods:We implemented health coaching in three primary care practices. Patients with diabetes were offered six
months of support from their health coach, including an initial face-to-face meeting and follow-up by email, telephone,
or face-to-face according to patient preference. Feasibility was assessed through provider focus groups and qualitative
data analysis methods.
Results:All three sites were able to implement the program. A number of themes emerged from the focus groups,
including the importance of physician buy-in, wide variation in understanding and implementing of the health coach
role, the significant impact of different systems of team communication, and the significant effect of organizational
structure and patient readiness on Health coaches’ capacity to perform their role.
Conclusions:It is feasible to implement health coaching as an integrated program within small primary care clinics in
Canada without adding additional resources into the daily practice. Practices should review their organizational and
communication processes to ensure optimal support for health coaches if considering implementing this intervention