Using the health belief model, how can the nurse encourage a patient, who is status post myocardial infarction, to make immediate and permanent behavior changes in his or her eating habits and activity levels especially when the patient views these changes to be insurmountable? Provide a nursing diagnosis with interventions and outcomes to assess the patient's behavior changes.
A nurse can motivate and encourage a patient to change their everyday life style by educating, and passing on care notes to them to read about. There are also many services in the healthcare system for patients to fall back on for help. Although we are not able to force the patients to comply with any regimen that the doctors prescribe, we are able to educate and create a goal and plan for the patient. There is a framework that can be followed by a nurse to implement for behavior change: 1. Assess the behavior 2. Educate about the need for and benefits of change 3. Motivate using personalized messages 4. Assess and increase self-efficacy 5. Decrease barriers to change 6. Modify behavior 7. Maintain behavior change
(Edelman, Pg. 250)
Nursing diagnosis:
Anxiety and Fear
Interventions:
1. Explain procedures being done to patient 2. Encourage patient and family to ask questions 3. Provide care notes for patient and family to read
Outcome:
1. Patient understands care after discharge. 2. Patient can explain back life style changes back to RN

Edelman, C. L. (2013). Health promotion throughout the life span. S.l.: Elsevier Mosby.