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Intro Session

Description

During the patient and Care Partner Intro Session, the healthcare professional:

  • Orients the Care Partner to the patient's diabetes status and regimen

  • Discusses helpful ways for the Care Partner to communicate with the patient about their diabetes

  • Shares techniques for the Care Partner to use to help patient set and follow-through on health goals

  • Teaches the Care Partner to who is on the patient’s healthcare team

  • Describes techniques for the patient and Care Partner to use to make the most of healthcare visits    

How healthcare professionals can use this tool

Healthcare professionals could complete the full session with the pair, or they could use selected visuals or materials they believe would be most beneficial to the person with diabetes or their Care Partner. The material can be printed, displayed on a screen, or emailed to the patient and Care Partner.

Click on the document title below to download the material.

Intro Session Materials

Document Content and Uses

Slide Deck

and  

Healthcare Professional Script
  • These layperson-friendly visuals introduce the pair to the idea of Patient-Care Partner partnership, then cover every topic in the Intro Session.
  • The accompanying script suggests phrasing for healthcare professionals to use to describe each visual or topic.
  • The slides and script indicate helpful points to use during the intro session.
  • The participant handbook also contains similar visuals. Participants can follow along in their handbook during the session if they cannot see the slides or if they want to take notes.

Diabetes Health Profile
  • The profile discusses items that impact the patient’s diabetes complication risk status: most recent HbA1c, blood pressure, lipid levels, and smoking status. It also summarizes the latest diabetes plan based on medical record notes and prescriptions. 
  • The profile is designed to bring the Care Partner up to speed on the patient’s situation and to help the pair identify areas to work on for their first goal.

‘Best Phrase’ Activity Cards
  • This game helps the pair learn and reinforces the ‘dos and donts’ for communicating with each other about diabetes.

Action Planning Worksheet
  • This worksheet guides patients through the steps for setting a diabetes goal and SMART action plan, including what role they want their Care Partner to play.

How the Intro Session was used in the original CO-IMPACT Program

To kick off the Program, the CO-IMPACT health coach met with the pair for a 60-minute session. If the Care Partner was unable to attend in person, they participated via speakerphone or video call.

Recommendations from the original CO-IMPACT Health Coaches

  • Provide the patient with a clear picture of what they and their Care Partner can do to lower their risk of diabetes complications.
  • Chat with the pair to assess the patient and Care Partner’s existing knowledge of diabetes self-management, and current Care Partner roles. Take the opportunity to note items that resonate with the pair and use these as examples to guide their first action plan.
  • Ask open-ended questions and use reflection (repeat and rephrase what the patient and Care Partner say) to ensure clarity and promote integration of ideas. Provide positive affirmations for any level of interest and engagement with the material and process.
  • Focus on the pair’s strengths. Point out what they are already doing well; then talk about building on those strengths to work together even more effectively.
  • Keep the sessions as interactive as possible. Consider splitting the content into multiple sessions to allow time for more interacting, discussing experiences, and reflecting on the material.
  • Model positive communication techniques. Praise instances when one person in the pair demonstrates positive communication during the session.