Board Certified Nurse Coaches' Self-Reported Practices/Outcomes, Populations, and Personal Demographics
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Date
2024-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Background: Nearly half of Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease, which the CDC estimates accounts for nearly 75% of aggregate healthcare spending. Research indicates that about 70% of chronic diseases may be preventable based on lifestyle behaviors. Nurses are uniquely situated to offer health and wellness coaching to promote health-enhancing behaviors.
Aims: The purpose of this study was to survey nationally certified nurse coaches to identify populations they are serving, chronic diseases they coach on, and other practice-related data.
Methods: Following IRB approval, an anonymous, electronic survey was sent via an email link to a registry of certified nurse coaches using Qualtrics Software. The survey questions (response options and open-ended) focused on demographics, populations served, practice aspects, and outcome data evaluated. Gift cards were offered to all participants.
Results: 424 certified nurse coaches responded to the survey. 96.6% were female and most attended a nurse coaching training program (95.5%). The most common period of coaching individuals was 3 months with 30-90 minute sessions. Most common reasons for coaching included life balance, nutrition, health responsibility, emotional/spiritual/physical wellness, and mental health. The most common client diseases were depression/stress/anxiety, Alzheimer’s/dementia, cancer, chronic pain, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. 61 (14.4%) nurse coaches reported using biomarkers to evaluate their practice.
Conclusions: The study informs efforts to improve nurse coaching programs, standardize outcome tracking, and better understand nurse coaching through the collection of demographic and practice-related data. Future research can examine specific patient populations, coaching strategies, and data to support CPT coding category 1 billing for certified nurse coaches.
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Keywords
nurse coaching, practice, demographics, populations