Man eating salad at computer
Avidon Health Team

How health and wellness coaches can streamline the participant’s journey

According to a study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, individuals who receive wellness coaching have a 38% increase in their likelihood to participate in regular exercise, and a 31% increase in their likelihood to maintain a healthy diet. The participant’s journey is an integral part of the coaching process. It should be structured in a way that best facilitates learning and growth. One way coaches can streamline this journey is by utilizing tools such as assessment tools, feedback loops, and goal tracking systems. Assessment tools are invaluable for helping coaches to quickly identify areas of strength and weakness in participants. By using tools such as surveys and questionnaires, coaches can gain a better understanding of the participant’s current situation. This helps them to create a customized plan that best fits their needs. Coaches can streamline the participant’s journey by tailoring their coaching approach to meet the specific needs of each participant. This involves considering their personality, learning style, and background to create a personalized coaching plan. Feedback loops are also an important part of streamlining the participant’s journey. Coaches should aim to provide feedback that is both timely and valuable. This can be done through various types of communication, like one-on-one meetings, phone calls, texts, or email updates. By providing regular feedback, coaches can ensure that the participant is on track and making progress towards their goals. Coaches should establish clear communication with participants from the outset of their coaching journey. This includes setting expectations for the

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Avidon Health Team

How lifestyle medicine positively impacts healthy sleep outcomes in older populations

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of human health and well-being, and its importance only increases as we age. Unfortunately, studies estimate that one in three older adults suffers from insomnia, and more than half of adults over age 65 report some form of sleep disturbance. The good news is that recent research highlights how lifestyle interventions can positively impact healthy sleep outcomes. Lifestyle medicine principles like those promoted by Avidon Health, including diet, physical activity, and stress management, have been shown to improve sleep quality and duration. A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that adults who followed a healthy lifestyle had a lower risk of developing sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder associated with reduced oxygen intake. A healthy diet also plays a critical role in promoting healthy sleep patterns in older populations. Research indicates that diets high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals can help regulate melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Additionally, reducing caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake before bedtime and limiting food intake three to four hours before bedtime can also promote healthy sleep. Stress management techniques, including meditation and yoga, have also been shown to improve sleep quality in older populations. A study published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology found that older adults who participated in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program had significantly improved sleep quality and decreased insomnia symptoms. The application of several lifestyle medicine principles can lead to better sleep outcomes for individuals. However, the numerous factors

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Avidon Health Team

Three key ways Avidon Health’s latest flow technology improves patient engagement

Trust, engagement, and personalized care pathways are critical to healthy outcomes. Yet, today’s strained healthcare ecosystem often fails to support providers to see these key elements come to fruition. Office visits don’t typically allow providers the time necessary to develop a complete understanding of patient health and wellness needs. What’s more, creating customized wellness plans and ensuring adherence isn’t usually reimbursed. It’s through these actions, however, providers can manage and reverse chronic conditions. This power has never been more consequential. Today, six in ten American adults have a chronic health condition. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. and are fueling the nation’s $4.1 trillion in annual health care costs. These chronic diseases are caused by a shortlist of risky, yet-controllable behaviors that include poor nutrition, lack of sleep, physical inactivity, high stress, tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure and excessive alcohol consumption. By empowering patients with the knowledge and tools to manage their health and behaviors, providers can impact change. With the digital wellness platform Engagement Rx’s latest release, Flows 2.0, it’s never been easier for providers to personalize patient engagement to create behavior change at scale. Here are three ways Flow 2.0 is improving patient engagement and outcomes: One: Creating personalized care experiences One-size-fits-all anything rarely delivers on its promise. The same holds true for technology solutions and care pathways. With Engagement Rx, providers get an easy-to-navigate digital tool powered by automation that delivers a personalized care experience for every

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Avidon Health Team

What is lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on the prevention and management of chronic diseases through lifestyle interventions, such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and social support. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer account for 71% of all deaths worldwide. The good news is that these diseases are largely preventable, and lifestyle medicine provides evidence-based strategies for their prevention and management. Recent trends in lifestyle medicine have shown promising results in achieving behavior change in chronic disease patients. Patients who take an active role in their health, by engaging in healthy behaviors, like diet, exercise, and mediation, are more likely to achieve their desired outcomes. For instance, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a comprehensive lifestyle change program that focused on improving diet, exercise, and stress management significantly reduced the risk of heart disease among high-risk patients. The study demonstrated that patients who followed the lifestyle intervention program had a 90% reduction in angina symptoms, a significant decrease in medication use, and a 37% reduction in the rate of cardiac events. Another study published in the Lancet found that a similar lifestyle intervention program that focused on diet and exercise was effective in improving glycemic control and reducing medication use in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study demonstrated that patients who followed the program had a 1.3% reduction in HbA1c levels, which is equivalent to the effect

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Avidon Health Team

How technology innovations in lifestyle medicine are unlocking the future of preventive care

The future of preventive care is inextricably linked to advances in technology, particularly when it comes to lifestyle medicine. Technology innovations such as Engagement Rx® are enabling healthcare professionals to provide more comprehensive and personalized health services to individuals, while at the same time helping to improve population health outcomes. In this blog post, we will explore how technological innovations in lifestyle medicine are unlocking the future of preventive care. Personalized Care Engagement Rx allows medical providers to create personalized wellness plans for their patients based on demographic data, health history, and lifestyle goals. The tool offers a set of advanced features that enable practitioners to track patient progress and adjust program components as needed. With tailored programs, healthcare professionals can provide more personalized interventions – providing better results for their patients and leading to improved population health outcomes overall. Remote Monitoring But Engagement Rx is not just about personalization – it’s also about accessibility. This allows healthcare providers to extend the reach of their services beyond geographic boundaries. Engagement Rx’s remote monitoring capabilities enable medical professionals to provide high-quality care paths from anywhere in the world and in 14 languages. This makes it easier for practitioners to connect with patients and ensure that they are making progress towards their health goals. Interactive Content Engagement Rx provides interactive content – including quizzes, educational resources, and videos – which engages patients and makes it easier for them to understand lifestyle recommendations. By leveraging this approach, practitioners can foster an ongoing relationship

Doctor at desk with computer
Avidon Health Team

Supporting patient wellness goals without working 24/7

The last three years have been detrimental to the U.S. healthcare system. We’ve all seen the headlines proclaiming the “U.S. Healthcare System is in Critical Condition,” or that “Providers are Serving More with Less Staff, Funding.” These all ring true – the system is fractured. The healthcare system’s stressors are being compounded at every turn. To start, healthcare workers are burnt out. A recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a peer-reviewed journal, shows that nearly 63% of physicians reported one manifestation of burnout in 2021, a dramatic increase from 38% in 2020 suggesting distress was overwhelmingly work related. Also adding to the strain are staffing shortages, forcing already weary healthcare workers to do more with less. The alarm’s been sounding for years, but today, the U.S. faces a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The same story is playing out across the board, from primary to mental healthcare. And at a time when patients need extra support to overcome the many barriers throughout their healthcare journey – which can hinder care, progress and recovery – providers are also in need of reinforcements. Advanced technologies, like automation, are coming to their aid. Providing health and wellness support that goes beyond the clinic There often aren’t enough hours in the day for patients to take the actions they want, and need, to make lasting health and wellness changes. However, given the sheer prevalence of chronic health conditions in the U.S., where

Two women eating at a table
Avidon Health Team

Harnessing the power of Engagement Rx in lifestyle medicine practices

Engagement Rx® is a powerful technology solution that has the potential to revolutionize the way medical professionals deliver lifestyle medicine to their patients. With its content rich care paths, Engagement Rx makes it easier for patients to achieve their lifestyle goals and promote optimal health. In this article, we will explore how medical professionals can harness the power of Engagement Rx to enhance their lifestyle medicine practices and better serve their patients. What is Engagement Rx? Engagement Rx is a comprehensive technology tool that provides healthcare professionals with the resources they need to deliver effective lifestyle medicine programs. The tool includes modules, courses, targeting and tracking features, and other advanced features that enable healthcare professionals to create customized lifestyle medicine programs for their patients. Engagement Rx makes use of behavior change methodologies such as motivational interviewing, goal setting, and positive reinforcement to create a personalized approach to lifestyle medicine for each patient. The tool also includes interactive programs, videos, quizzes, and other engaging content that keep patients motivated and on track with their health goals. How can Engagement Rx enhance lifestyle medicine practices? Customized health programs: Engagement Rx provides medical professionals with the ability to create customized care paths tailored to individual patient needs. The solution enables doctors to personalize each patient’s program, considering their health goals and status. Track progress and outcomes: Engagement Rx tracks patient behavior and evaluates the effectiveness of lifestyle medicine interventions. Health practitioners can track patient progress, support adherence to recommended health behaviors, and provide

Woman shopping for vegetables
Avidon Health Team

How Engagement Rx expands your lifestyle medicine practice beyond physical boundaries

Engagement Rx® is a powerful technology tool that can help you expand your lifestyle medicine practice beyond physical boundaries. With its advanced features and customizable care paths, Engagement Rx allows healthcare professionals to create personalized wellness programs for patients regardless of their location. In this article, we will discuss how Engagement Rx can help you expand your lifestyle medicine practice beyond physical boundaries. Telemedicine Telemedicine has made medical care available to patients regardless of their location. With Engagement Rx, you can extend your lifestyle medicine services beyond your geographic region. The solution’s tracking features enable you to provide high-quality health services to your patients from anywhere. Customized patient programs Engagement Rx allows you to create customized wellness programs for your patients based on their demographic data, health history, and lifestyle goals. The tool’s advanced features enable you to track and monitor patient progress, provide support and feedback, and adjust the program as necessary. With tailored programs, you can offer personalized care to patients, even those from a different location. Interactive content Engagement Rx features interactive courses, quizzes, and educational resources that engage patients and make it easier for them to understand and implement healthy lifestyle recommendations. The interactive content is accessible online, making it easier for patients to access from wherever they are and regardless of where they are located. Better patient engagement Engagement Rx enhances patient engagement by personalizing approaches to lifestyle medicine. The tool provides a platform for patients to access health content and track their progress, making

Flows 2.0 example
Avidon Health Team

Enhanced automation and content creation now part of Engagement Rx

Flows 2.0 makes it easier to create customized care paths that can be efficiently implemented for large groups of participants, allowing for more personalized and effective participant interactions. Health coaching teams know that building trusting connections with their clients and personalizing care can help improve health outcomes. However, in today’s healthcare landscape, health coaching teams do not always have the time – and are not typically reimbursed – for developing custom wellness plans or ensuring their adherence. Engagement Rx® provides the tools for health coaching teams to personalize engagement to create behavior change at scale. The platform’s newest release, Flows 2.0, you can further customize care paths and leverage automation. Flows 2.0 offers more flexibility in designing personalized health programs by creating unique experiences based on the needs of your population. These care paths are designed by experts using lifestyle medicine principles to help individuals achieve their health goals using behavior-based content, courses, tools, and resources. One of the primary benefits of Engagement Rx is that it can help health coaching teams create a more personalized experience. With Flows 2.0, you have the capability to add branching logic to care paths that address the specific needs and goals of each participant. For health coaching teams, Flows are a hugely versatile tool and can be used in Engagement Rx templates as the building blocks of microlearning courses or as a streamlined method of onboarding new participants. By doing so, participants are more likely to engage with their health and be invested

Behavior Change
Avidon Health Team

Measuring your engagement impact with these three KPIs

Community centers play a vital role in the health and well-being of local residents. Through their physical spaces and engaging programming, community centers connect seniors, empower local youth, promote healthy lifestyles and strengthen community bonds. These social connections can foster stronger, safer and more inclusive communities, while services and programs can advance individual and community-level health and wellness initiatives. Achieving positive outcomes hinges on community center performance; leading us to ask: does your community center measure any Key Performance Indicators a.k.a. KPIs? These are the measurable values that indicate how effectively your organization is performing in terms of engagement, financial success, member loyalty and more. KPIs can give your community center data that can be used when setting engagement goals, devising strategies to reach targets and tracking progress. Here we look at the three must-know KPIs community centers should be measuring – and using – to elevate member experiences and improve health and wellness outcomes. No. 1 Member Dropout Rate It’s estimated that in 2021 some 66.5 million Americans ages six and older, or 1 in 5 people, were members of a health club or fitness studio, according to IHRSA’s (The Global Health & Fitness Association) annual Health Club Consumer Report. Yet, the report found that most health and wellness centers lose 50% of new memberships within the first six months. A community center’s member dropout rate is among the best indicators of the effectiveness of its engagement. By measuring how many members opted out of renewals or dropped out

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