Abstract
As the New Year approaches, men are busy reflecting on the previous year’s goals and accomplishments. This reflection typically results in culturally based traditions of establishing New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions are our established goals and aspirations for ourselves during the New Year. Health-related resolutions are typically among the most common resolutions established. The New Year is well underway with a fourth of the year gone. How are you doing? How are your patients and clients doing with their resolved goals and aspirations? Remember, time spent planning is never time lost.
A recommendation to ensure continual progression toward the achievement of your or your patient’s professional and/or personal New Year’s resolution requires a clear plan of action with definitive expected outcomes. Plans of personal behavior change should include a broad goal that identifies the expected state, that is, in respect to health-related goals, the expected outcome or result of the activities. Once a goal is established, it is best to divide the goal in to SMART objectives. These SMART objectives, once accomplished, ensure that you or your client is closer to establishing your goal. SMART objectives are Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Relevant, and Time bound. These SMART objectives can then further be broken down into strategic actions that are quantified and time bound.
Our progression into the second quarter of 2014 provides us with a time of formative reflection to get back on track with our New Year’s resolution, start a resolution, or if you have achieved your resolution, establish a change or extension in your plan.
Clinicians are encouraged to take advantage of cultural traditions such as resolution setting to positively influence a client’s health-related behaviors. This can be done by having a discussion with a client about their New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions can be discussed within the context of the client’s current health status and the health care provider and the client can work on establishing mutual health related goals. From these goals, SMART objectives can be integrated into the client’s plan of care and serve as a foundation of expected health-related behaviors to review at each subsequent visit. So, as we progress into this second quarter, it is a great time to either personally reflect on our resolutions or use this as a temporal opportunity to establish health-related goals for yourself or your clients.