3.2.2 Modifying patient health behaviours
Although designed as a risk assessment tool for symptomatic individuals, participants felt that use of the tool could also help to identify and raise awareness about modifying health behaviours:
“I think it might be just raising awareness, so people realise what’s happening, and what can go wrong with them and where the risks are and may be, they can reinforce them where someone else like the young person who has given up smoking it might be used to reinforce by saying well, you’ve got a very low risk, so if you’ve given up smoking carry on with that. Rather than saying you’ve got a very high risk later” (Service User 5: individual interview).
“I’m not sure what is happening with people who are refusing lifestyle changes. They don’t understand the risks, you know what I mean? I mean like someone who is a smoker, he is smoking, smoking. You can use this tool to help them modify their life style. People who are refusing referral, you can use the tool to estimate their risk to show and explain to them” (Practitioner 2 [GP]: individual interview).
Other practitioners also suggested that the tool could be modified or redesigned for other conditions or asymptomatic individuals:
“I think there is a potential for using the tool for screening in other health categories. The tool could be modified or redesigned to suit other conditions in primary care. It could also be modified for asymptomatic patients, for example the QCancer 10 years’ risk tool, I understand can be used to predict cancer in asymptomatic individuals”(Practitioner 3 [GP]: FG 3).
“I also feel the tool will help in terms of using the risk generated to advise patients who need behavioural changes. If their risk was small I would tell them to maintain healthier life styles by exercising, eating a healthy diet, less alcohol and to stop smoking if they were smoking. Yes, as I said, this tool can help to empower patients to take control of their risk factors and live healthier life styles” (Practitioner 2 [GP]: FG 3).