How should clinicians talk to patients about changing their diet, stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol, or becoming more physically active? Guidance on these conversations is everywhere - in national guidelines, training materials, journals and professional magazines. But how much of that advice is based on solid evidence?
A new systematic review from researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, published in BMC Medicine, examined guidance aimed at general practice professionals on how to communicate with adult patients about behaviour change, and then looked closely at the evidence used to support the guidance.
The researchers identified 84 different sources of guidance, containing 1,163 specific recommendations about how clinicians should communicate.
They then asked two simple questions:
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Does this recommendation cite any evidence?
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If it does, is that evidence actually relevant to the specific communication advice being given?