Brief negotiation program for promoting behavior change: The Kaiser Permanente approach to continuing professional development

BACKGROUND: Behavior change counseling is one of the most difficult and constant challenges faced by health providers. It has a significant impact on clinical outcomes as well as patient and provider satisfaction. By encouraging patients to participate in a partnership with health care professionals, Brief Negotiation offers techniques to motivate behavior change successfully. We review the key components of Brief Negotiation and describe how one large group model health maintenance organization was able to identify key staff members, develop educational opportunities and implement Brief Negotiation system-wide into standard care practices. OBJECTIVES: To expose a maximum number of health care professionals to a recommended model of behavior change counseling; to increase the satisfaction and confidence of health care professionals in counseling for behavior change; and to increase the likelihood of improved patient health outcomes. METHOD: Two departments created one-day, two-day, six-hour and one-to-two-hour skill-based programs targeted to physicians, nurse practitioners, care managers, clinical health educators, behavioral medicine specialists, physical therapists, pharmacists and medical assistants. Practice protocols, strategic departmental alliances and intranet sites complemented the educational interventions. RESULTS: Over 1000 health care professionals have been exposed to the Brief Negotiation model in over two years. A mailed survey to graduates of the one- and two-day programs indicated that 67% of physicians and 79% of other health professionals felt more confident about working with patients on behavior change after having attended the Brief Negotiation program. CONCLUSIONS: System-wide professional development requires multiple exposures to the Brief Negotiation model, considerable resources for curriculum development, training time and follow-up, and credible clinical trainers. Questions remain about the amount of training needed for long-term clinician behavior change and for improved health outcomes in patients.