Implementing an Online Education and Reminder System to Aid a Clinic's Dietary Intervention Program

Abstract

Obesity and diet-associated chronic illnesses are a major burden on the health of the U.S. population. Healthcare providers are challenged with the treatment of patients with chronic illness but are not equipped to manage and influence patient lifestyle choices. Effective, long-term behavior change using interventions such as a dietary program can be costly and time consuming. Pioneer Comprehensive Medical (PCM) is a small clinic located in Draper, Utah that uses a dietary intervention program to improve patient health, but program application is inconsistent, patients feel ill equipped to make changes, and attrition is high. Like many small clinics, PCM has limited resources to adopt new policies and programs. This practice inquiry (PI) proposes to address this practice gap with behavior change theory as a foundation (Chapter 1) and improving the program at PCM with a quality improvement (QI) process using a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. In the "Plan" phase (Chapter 2), a systematic review of the research literature determined the key components for effective dietary interventions. Six characteristic features found in these interventions include: self-efficacy building education, web-based delivery, sequential delivery of information, consistent messaging with reminders, a supportive social environment and individually-tailored feedback. The "Do" phase (Chapter 3) is the design of a program delivery method that incorporates the findings from the literature. The "Study" phase (Chapter 4) is the design of a pilot study to assess the usability, feasibility, and sustainability of the program. The "Act" phase (Chapter 5) is the implementation plan for all PCM patients based on findings in the pilot study and to assess the impact of the program. This final phase will provide detailed data to assess the short, intermediate, and long-term outcomes of the program.