A teachable moment

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perspective of cardiac patients regarding the timing and manner of delivering lifestyle advice following an acute cardiac event hospitalization. METHODS: Dutch cardiac patients who experienced a cardiac event hospitalization participated in a semi-structured interview (n = 14) or a cross-sectional survey study (n = 119). RESULTS: Our findings indicate that cardiac patients are receptive to lifestyle advice throughout the care trajectory...

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is often associated with a change in health behaviors, leading some to suggest that pregnancy could be a teachable moment for lifestyle change. However, the prevalence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is not well understood. The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of a teachable moment during pregnancy, the psychosocial factors that are associated with experiencing such a moment, and its association with actual health behaviors. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 343 pregnant Dutch women completed an online questionnaire...

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing spinal surgery report high levels of insecurity, pain, stress, and anxiety before and after surgery. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that surgery will resolve all issues; postsurgical recovery often entails moderate to severe postoperative pain, and some patients undergoing spinal surgery do not experience (long-term) pain relief after surgery. Therefore, focusing on sustainable coping skills and resilience is crucial for these patients. A digital health intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and positive psychology (PP) was developed to enhance psychological flexibility and well-being and reduce postsurgical pain...

BACKGROUND: Urgent dental care may be the only place where many people, especially vulnerable groups, access care. This presents an opportunity for delivery of a behavioural intervention promoting planned dental visiting, which may help address one of the factors contributing to a socio-economic gradient in oral health. Although we know that cueing events such as having a cancer diagnosis may create a 'teachable moment' stimulating positive changes in health behaviour, we do not know whether delivering an opportunistic intervention in urgent dental care is feasible and acceptable to patients...

The current study assessed the views and attitudes of health professionals (HPs) regarding factors associated with energy balance-related health behaviours and weight management in breast cancer survivors (BCS) with overweight and obesity. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 21 HPs (oncologists, dietitians- nutritionists, physical education instructors, mental health professionals, and nurses) from Attica and Thessaly. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and present the data. Four main themes arose from the data: "The patients' mental health wellbeing", "Survivors' interest in diet and exercise", "Interdisciplinary collaboration in patient's care", and "Maintaining normality"...

INTRODUCTION: Managing chronic diseases and tobacco use is a formidable challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited health literacy and access to quality healthcare. This study examines the empirical evidence from China, utilizing quasi-experimental approaches to assess the causal effect of chronic disease diagnoses on smoking behavior. METHODS: Employing the diagnosis of chronic disease in the older cohorts of the population as a natural experiment, this study utilizes recent advancements in difference-in-difference estimation methods (CS-DID) to investigate the effect of a diagnosis on smoking behavior...

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with worse outcomes and higher healthcare costs. The long waiting time for surgery is a potential 'teachable' moment. We examined the feasibility and safety of a pilot prehabilitation programme on high-risk frail patients undergoing major elective surgery. METHODS: A single-centre, retrospective pilot study (Dec 2020-Nov 2021) on a one-stop prehabilitation programme (structured exercise training, nutritional counselling/therapy, and psychological support) in collaboration with geriatricians and allied health professionals...

Tendinopathies of the shoulder are a burdensome problem. Current treatments include exercise, physical therapies, corticosteroid injections and surgery. However, the clinical outcomes from randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions are largely unremarkable. Given the apparent lack of progress in improving clinical outcomes for patients, it is appropriate to consider other avenues. Research has identified a link between lifestyle-related modifiable risk factors, including smoking, overweight and physical inactivity, and the onset and persistence of tendinopathies of the shoulder...

BACKGROUND: Although tobacco use is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality, its use remains widespread among adults within the United States. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products are effective aids that improve rates of tobacco cessation. Many smokers interact with the medical system, such as during hospitalization, without their tobacco use addressed. Hospitalization is a teachable moment for patients to make health-related changes, including tobacco cessation. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients in a university-based patient-centered medical home from 2012-2021 evaluating the proportion of adults who smoke who received at least one prescription for NRT...

INTRODUCTION: Chatbots emulate human-like interactions and may usefully provide on-demand access to tailored smoking cessation support. We have developed a prototype smartphone application-based smoking cessation chatbot, named Quin, grounded in real-world, evidence- and theory-based smoking cessation counselling sessions. METHOD: Conversation topics and interactions in Quitline counselling sessions (N=30; 18 hours) were characterised using thematic, content, and proponent analyses of transcripts...

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has shown that experiencing an acute cardiac event, such as a myocardial infarction (MI), can lead to lifestyle changes. This study aimed to explore the potential of a MI as a 'teachable moment' (TM) for positive lifestyle changes and to identify psychosocial sensemaking processes that facilitate or hinder the presence of a TM. METHOD: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 patients who suffered their first MI and were hospitalized in a larger Dutch city...

INTRODUCTION: Many cancer patients who smoke cigarettes want to quit. Unfortunately, many of these cancer patients prefer to quit without the aid of pharmacotherapy or behavioral counseling. The teachable moment of cancer diagnosis might still position these cancer patients to make meaningful changes in their smoking behavior, but no study has documented the trajectory of smoking cessation outcomes among cancer patients who want to quit "on their own". This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature...

INTRODUCTION: The Health Belief Model comprises two constructs influencing changed behaviors impacting on health, namely perceived severity and susceptibility. The aim of this study was to identify the impact of the combination of, or interactions between, these two constructs on quitting smoking in smokers with a diagnosis of a non-communicable disease (NCD). METHODS: From the large insurance claims database maintained by JMDC database (JMDC, Tokyo), we extracted data on 13284 participants who smoked...

Public health and the medical specialty of anesthesiology have been closely intertwined throughout history, dating back to the 1800s when Dr. John Snow used contact tracing methods to identify the Broad Street Pump as the source of a cholera outbreak in London. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in anesthesiology and anesthesia patient safety came forward to develop swift recommendations in the face of rapidly changing evidence to help protect patients and healthcare workers. While these high-profile examples may seem like uncommon events, there are many common modern-day public health issues that regularly intersect with anesthesiology and surgery...

BACKGROUND: The perioperative period is an important "teachable moment" where smoking interventions may be particularly effective. We aim to explore the effectiveness of intensive perioperative smoking cessation programs not just on short term, but long term smoking abstinence as well. METHODS: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published between 1 Jan 2007 and 15 May 2022. The studies include perioperative smoking cessation programs that were conducted either in the preoperative surgical clinic or anaesthesia clinic settings...

Although lung cancer screening (LCS) using low-dose CT is recommended for high-risk individuals, screening adherence remains low. We conducted a randomized trial to compare two methods of providing LCS education to Maryland Tobacco Quitline (MTQ) callers in order to assess whether this setting may serve as a teachable moment for LCS-eligible individuals. MTQ callers (50-80 years, 20+ pack-years, prior LCS ≥12 months) completed the baseline and were randomized to the Print- or Web-based version of ShouldIScreen...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence suggests that a diagnosis of a respiratory health condition, such as COVID-19, can prompt a smoker to quit, providing an opportunity to promote and support smoking cessation. However, mandatory quarantine, because of a COVID-19 infection, may stimulate an increase in smoking, making such efforts seem inappropriate or ineffective. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a telephone-based smoking cessation intervention for smokers with COVID-19 in Malta...

Intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn's disease are chronic granulomatous diseases with similar clinical presentations and can mimic one another. Their treatment modalities are completely different; however, sometimes it is challenging to differentiate them. We report a case of a 51-year-old female presenting with abdominal pain and on-and-off diarrhea for 4 years with weight loss. Clinical symptoms along with multiple aphthous ulcers in the terminal ileum and negative tuberculin test favored the diagnosis of Crohn's disease...