Health coaching is a supported self-management (SSM) intervention that personalises care so that people have choice and control over how their care is planned and delivered, based on what matters to them. It provides a positive shift in power and decision making that enables people to feel informed, have a voice and be heard. There are some basics to approaching a consultation as a health coach:

Rapport

• Set the scene to build rapport. Listen to and acknowledge the patient’s agenda without interruption and agree a shared agenda for the consultation. Demonstrate respect for the patient’s perception at all times
• Communicate positively. Use appropriate language throughout, adapting your communication to the individual patient
• Discuss and share information in an open, honest and non-discriminatory way
• Understand that patient behaviour, values and attitudes vary with age, gender, ethnicity and social background.

Listen

• Actively listen. Focus on the patient’s words and non-verbal behaviour without interrupting. It is important to use questioning techniques that reflect active listening, so that you can gather information
• Check for understanding at different points of the consultation. Allow the patient time and space to reflect
  
• Negotiate a shared understanding of the issue and its management. Respect the patient’s reasons for any likely non-adherence to their management plan in a non-judgmental way
  
• Manage their concerns and emotions in a sensitive manner
  
• Manage the consultation effectively and efficiently in a way that does not detract focus from the patient.

Understand

• Explore the patient’s attitude towards their medicines. Appreciate their values, expectations and beliefs
• Encourage and provide on-going support for new behaviours and actions, even if they involve taking risks or a fear of failure
• Identify the extent to which family, friends, carers and other health professionals are involved in decisions pertinent to the patient’s health, while respecting their right to confidentiality
• Appreciate that a patient’s perspectives can change over time with a long-term medical condition. Acknowledge that patients make their own choices on the basis of their own values, not just clinical evidence
• Close the consultation in an effective manner, making sure the patient has enough information. Provide further explanation where needed and offer the opportunity to ask further questions. Summarise and agree the plan for medicines and ongoing care.