Discussion
Our findings did partly confirm our hypotheses. In particular -as expected - PNs do encourage patients to talk about behaviourchange more in the precontemplation and contemplation stage than during the other stages, and also more during the preparation stage than during the action and maintenance stage. However, in contrast to what we expected, PNs invite the patient to talk about behaviour change in the preparation stage more than during the precontemplation and contemplation stage. Although PNs do invite the patient to talk about behaviour change more during the preparation stage than during the action and maintenance stage. The other hypotheses could not be confirmed, these being: that PNs are more likely ‘to ask questions to elicit how the patient
thinks and feels about behaviour change’ during the precontemplation
and contemplation stage than during the other
stages; that PNs ‘acknowledges challenges about behaviour change
that the patient faces’ less during the action and maintenance
stage than during the other stages of change; that PNs and patients
are more likely ‘to exchange ideas about how the patient could
change current behaviour’ during the preparation stage than during
the other SOC.