Study highlights the connection between healthcare professionals’ responses to emotions with patient engagement

A new study by the University of Copenhagen explored the relationship between health coaches’ responses to emotions from women using a digital behaviour change intervention and their subsequent engagement with the programme. They found that the frequency of emotional acknowledgement responses by health coaches and women’s engagement with goals were connected.

Behaviour change interventions

Behaviour change research shows that interventions can be effective in supporting individuals to make lifestyle changes. For women at high risk of developing gestational diabetes, it is important to ensure they have a healthy weight gain during pregnancy. Once the baby arrives, there are more barriers to adopting and maintaining healthy behaviours, such as financial constraints, family duties and mental health issues. More personalised prevention programmes are needed to address these barriers.

In the Bump2Baby and Me study, 400 women at high risk of gestational diabetes were randomly selected to receive a digital behaviour change intervention during pregnancy and for 12 months postpartum. The intervention – the Bump2Baby and Me mHealth Programme – involved eight health coaches, providing support and motivation to help women implement lifestyle behaviour changes, and ran across four countries: Australia, Ireland, Spain, and the UK.

Analysis of coaching interactions

In this sub-study, led by Antje Schöps from the University of Copenhagen, a small selection of interactions from the first recorded meeting between the health coaches and the women participating were analysed. Statements or expressions from the women were categorised into emotional concerns (unambiguous) and emotional cues (those that lack clarity). Responses from the health coaches were then examined to understand the quality of information or advice, the level of reassurance or the acknowledgement of the emotions provided.

The analysis showed that coaching interactions were varied, particularly those providing information or advice (counselling). Further analysis of women’s interactions with the app was used to detect high and low engagement levels. The more engaged women were with the app, the more counselling they received. Researchers found a connection between the frequency of provider responses that acknowledge emotions and the level of engagement with the goals.

Expressing empathy and acknowledging emotions are important factors in motivating participants to change their behaviour and ultimately improve health outcomes. Paying attention to the emotions expressed by patients can enable healthcare professionals to provide more personalised advice. The findings from this behaviour change intervention sub-study can be applied across all areas of health communication and may help patients to better self-manage health conditions.

Paper

Antje Maria Schöps, Timothy Charles Skinner, Christina Fogtmann Fosgerau. Tele-health coaches’ responses to clients’ emotional cues and concerns and engagement with the Bump to Baby and Me Intervention. Patient Education and Counseling, 127, (2024), 108370.

Podcast

If you want to hear a conversation about this study’s findings, listen to this podcast which has been generated using AI.