June 3, 2021, 2:44 p.m. Michael Devitt — Whether recommending changes in diet and exercise levels or promoting stress management and other aspects of self-care, lifestyle medicine is an integral part of the practice of many family doctors. For several years in fact, The Academy Member Interest Group in Lifestyle Medicine has provided its members with an online community where they can network, share practical tips and work together to improve patient health.
Guide Details
The implementation guide is divided into six sections, each covering a different aspect of lifestyle medicine. Topics include a general overview of the lifestyle medicine framework, ways to integrate lifestyle medicine into practice, lifestyle medicine assessment tools, and reimbursement and coding. The sections are supplemented by a comprehensive reference list and numerous figures and tables, including a table that provides links to six assessment tools.
Members can also use six companion documents to discuss these topics in more detail. They understand:
“The guide was designed to provide practical tools and resources for physicians to begin integrating the principles of lifestyle medicine with patients now,” Bonnet said. “Whether you’re familiar with lifestyle medicine or it’s something new to you, there are a variety of options available to meet your needs and practice style. »
Identified FP needs
Kevin Kovach, Dr. PH, M.Sc., senior director of population and community health in the Academy’s Division of Public Health and Science, said: AAFP News that the new materials were based on the results of a survey of AAFP members on lifestyle medicine.
“Although the family doctors we interviewed felt the principles of lifestyle medicine were important, it was clear there were gaps in how they were implemented within their practices” , Kovach said. “The CME toolkit and curriculum provides guidance on both the technical skills of lifestyle medicine and the soft skills needed to integrate changes into daily practice.
“While these new materials focus on certain aspects of lifestyle medicine in clinical settings, future resources should connect social determinants of health to lifestyle medicine,” Kovach added. “Most doctors believe it is important to address the impact of conditions such as poverty and access to adequate healthy food and environments, but there remain larger gaps for those who were able to integrate this into their work.
The new documents are among the many items available to members on Academy Healthy Living webpage. Additional resources will be posted as they become available.
