If you are living with a chronic condition, a nurse coach can help you take control. A nurse coach is a registered nurse with advanced training in chronic illness management. They support patients and their families through the process of adapting to life with a chronic illness. These trained professionals work one-on-one with clients over the course of several months to provide individualized guidance and support in setting goals, improving self-management skills, increasing physical activity, and improving nutrition.
Nurse coaches can help patients who suffer from conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or respiratory problems. Nurse coaching is typically covered by health insurance plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare.
Why Nurse Coaching is Important
Offers support to patients
Nurse coaches are trained in cognitive behavioral interventions, behavior change theories, and motivational interviewing skills. They provide relational support for patients with complex conditions so they can make progress toward their own health goals. This approach is beneficial because it empowers individuals while also helping them manage serious medical conditions and improve outcomes.
According to researchers at Duke University’s Trent Center for Bioethics & Humanities and the School of Nursing, the model is scalable. They studied nurse coaching as part of their REACH project. The researchers explain that this approach is based on relationship-building techniques that can benefit individuals with many different types of health issues, including diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2), hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Help in career advancement
Nurse coaching will bring out the best in nurses and help them succeed in a job that can be difficult and stressful. Your organization will benefit from nurse coaching through improved nursing performance, less nurse burnout, lower turnover, and higher patient satisfaction scores.
Patients become more engaged in their treatment plans
Nurse coaches are often used to help patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease. These patients typically require long-term treatment plans, including prescription medications and lifestyle changes. Nurse coaches can be especially helpful by helping patients become more engaged in their treatment plans.
As part of this process, the nurse coach will work with the patient to develop realistic, attainable, and measurable short-term and long-term goals. As the patient progresses, they may gain a greater sense of control over his health which can lead to further improvements in his condition.
Improving patient retention and compliance with treatment plans
Nurses can identify gaps or deficiencies in patient compliance with treatment plans and recommend steps to address them. For example, nurses can identify patients who have not picked up prescriptions or are missing doses, then work directly with those patients to resolve the issue.
Reducing readmissions and emergency room visits
Nursing coaches proactively monitor at-risk patients for declines in health status, thereby reducing readmissions and emergency room visits. They may also use technology such as mobile devices to monitor vital signs or other health indicators remotely.
Finally, nurse coaching is a cost-effective way to treat patients. Besides, this care model could reduce healthcare costs by improving patient outcomes and reducing reliance on emergency room services, hospitalizations, and rehospitalizations.
