Encourage own initiatives
The patients had the opportunity to take initiative and
make their own decisions about the change process.
They were allowed to talk about what they wanted to do
and how it would be done while the RN listened without
lecturing. The patients did not find that the discussions
were meant to correct their ideas or that any pressure
was put on them. If they were criticized in a discussion,
they would not participate in further discussions, even
after weighing the pros and cons of a lifestyle change. It
was easy to be oversensitive to criticism or pressure, and
if patients perceived any, they stop listening. A patient
pointed out:
I was not being lectured like “Stop that”, “Do this or
that”, but she listens more. I thought that it was very
positive