We studied the patient experience of a telephone booster intervention, i.e. weekly reinforcement of the clinic advice regarding lifestyle modification advice to support weight loss. Forty six adults with Type 2 diabetes and a body mass index >28 kg/m2 were randomised into either intervention (n = 25) or control (n = 21) groups....The patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the telephone calls and most would recommend the intervention to others in a similar situation. The content of the telephone follow-up met their need for on-going support. The benefits arising from the telephone calls included: being reminded to comply with their regimen; prompting and motivating adherence to diabetes self-care behaviours; improved self-esteem; and feeling ‘worthy of interest’. The convenience and low cost of telephone support has much potential in chronic disease management.
It seems to me that a structured "telephone booster" program could work in various contexts. As I pondered this idea, the ideal situation seemed to be the use of trained professionals (i.e., coaches) in the role of telephone boosters. This was obviously the case in the research study quoted above. It did occur to me, however, that connecting individuals with the same diseases via telephone or the web, absent the participation of trained professionals, might also be of value. After all, this occurs on a daily basis on sites such as , CureTogether , and PatientsLikeMe involving patients or their relatives with serious diseases like cancer. These are commonly referred to as web-enabled disease support groups. I need to spend more time thinking about the differences between telephone boosters, health coaches, and web support groups. Perhaps readers of this blog have some ideas on this topic that they want to submit as comments.
Patients or healthcare consumers with chronic diseases such as diabetes or conditions like obesity frequently need ongoing personal or network support and encouragement. Such support can be provided in the form of a health coach (see: " Cancer Coaches" Start to Play Significant Role in Cancer Care ). Also proved effective have been city-by-city "biggest loser" wight loss competitions (see: Richfield, Minn. 'Biggest Loser' contestants pay it forward ). The common element here is mentorship, group support, and personal interactions in the pursuit of successful outcomes in disease/condition management. I did not have a good label for the telephone support process for health goals until I came across a report of an article in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare (see: Patients' experience of a telephone booster intervention to support weight management in Type 2 diabetes and its acceptability ). Below is an excerpt from it:
It seems to me that a structured "telephone booster" program could work in various contexts. As I pondered this idea, the ideal situation seemed to be the use of trained professionals (i.e., coaches) in the role of telephone boosters. This was obviously the case in the research study quoted above. It did occur to me, however, that connecting individuals with the same diseases via telephone or the web, absent the participation of trained professionals, might also be of value. After all, this occurs on a daily basis on sites such as , CureTogether , and PatientsLikeMe involving patients or their relatives with serious diseases like cancer. These are commonly referred to as web-enabled disease support groups. I need to spend more time thinking about the differences between telephone boosters, health coaches, and web support groups. Perhaps readers of this blog have some ideas on this topic that they want to submit as comments.