Evaluating the implementation of health coaching in a rural setting

Objective: The aim of this project was to explore the barriers and enablers to implementation of staff training in Health Coaching, a model of care employed in primary care to facilitate client self management of chronic disease. Methods: Forty six staff from five rural community health settings were recruited to undertake training in Health Coaching. A simple post training quantitative evaluation was conducted by surveying staff five months post training. Results: There was a 68% response rate to the surveys. Only 50% of staff trained in Health Coaching reported implementing it into practice. Enabling factors to implementing the training were reported as peer and organisational support. Conclusion: Effective models of self management in chronic disease should not be aimed at staff training alone. This study suggests that implementation of new models of care requires a significant change in clinician practice which is not readily embraced by staff. Key words: chronic disease, early intervention, self management, staff training, training implementation.