AUTHOR=Barrett Stephen , Begg Stephen , O'Halloran Paul , Rodda Kane , Barrett Gabrielle , Kingsley Michael 

TITLE=“Exercise Is My Medicine”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Non-admitted Patients Receiving Physical Activity Promotion From Hospital Surgeons

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.915496

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.915496

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: Hospital clinicians are increasingly encouraged to use outpatient consultations as an avenue to deliver opportunistic health promotion. There is a dearth of evidence regarding the acceptance of health promotion initiatives from hospital patients themselves.
Methods: We explored the experiences of non-admitted patients who, during a routine consultation with a hospital surgeon received a recommendation to increase physical activity (PA) and a recommendation to engage in a PA telephone coaching program. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who had received the recommendation and proceeded to enrol in a telephone coaching intervention to identify factors that influenced behaviour change. Data were analysed thematically. 
Results: The interviews lasted between 26 and 47 minutes, with an average duration of 35 minutes. Participants’ age ranged between 42 to 66 years, with the average age being 54 years. Of the participants, 15 (68%) were women and 7 (32%) were men. Three major themes were identified: (1) the hospital visit represented an opportunity for behaviour change that is not to be missed; (2) surgeons were influential in promoting PA change contemplation; and (3) patients welcomed a communication style that promoted autonomy. 
Conclusions: Almost all patients considered receiving the recommendation to engage with the telephone coaching as acceptable and helpful towards PA change. Although working in time-restricted consultations, surgeons delivered the recommendation in a patient-centred, autonomy-supportive way, which influenced behaviour change. Hospitals should explore avenues to integrate health promotion into routine care, confident of the acceptability and appropriateness of health promotion practice to hospital patients.