HealthChange® Methodology (HCM) supports healthcare workers to reshape and improve
service delivery. Training and clinical practice change support for organisations is delivered by HealthChange Associates.
Caroline Bills is the Director of HealthChange Associates.
Why use HealthChange Methodology?
HealthChange Methodology equips individuals and organisations with practical skills, systems and knowledge to deliver effective, time-efficient, person-centred care and reduce resources wastage. The unique consultation framework provides a consistent guide to help clinicians with what to say, how to say it and when to say it in consultations to achieve the best results with patients.
Since 2006, HCM has assisted leading community health programs, government organisations, NGOs and corporate health services across Australia as well as government health services in Singapore and Canada to reshape their practice and provide more efficient and effective care.
What are the benefits?
Demonstrated results and research show HealthChange Methodology can:
- improve patient engagement leading to better clinical and organisational outcomes – reported benefits include higher patient retention and participation rates, reduced wait lists, lower surgery deferrals due to poor patient self-management and better clinical outcomes
- increase clinician confidence and skills – clinicians report improved ability to work with chronic and complex patients; particularly valuable in building clinician capacity and confidence when transitioning to telehealth and mobile technology
- provide a consistent way to deliver effective health literacy and person-centred care – providing a common language, methodology and simple tools that work across all levels – clinicians, teams, services and organisations, and all service delivery methods – face-to-face, group programs and telehealth
- help organisations to achieve KPIs and stand out to accreditation bodies – as a provider of quality services taking real action in delivering person-centred care
- improve staff retention and satisfaction – clinicians report greater confidence and satisfaction in assisting patients with challenging conditions and circumstances, and reduced frustration with workplace systems after their realignment with patient-centred care. Staff have valued this type of ongoing professional development as well as their organisation's investment and support in their day-to-day work
- reduce redundancy and resource wastage – organisations report reduced 'no show' rates, consultation times and ineffective 'frequent flyer' consultations.
What is the evidence base?
It is well accepted that taking a person-centred approach to service delivery is considered best practice. The problem is that most health professionals implement this intuitively, which means there is little consistency across professions, teams or services. The primary purpose of HealthChange Methodology is to provide health service providers with a shared understanding of the evidence-based theories, models and techniques from the psychology and behaviour change literature concepts that underpin person-centred care and then help them to use these. HCM is NOT a specific treatment intervention or program itself. It is used by individual clinicians to ensure their consultations are person-centred and include key health literacy messages and behaviour change support.
It can also be used by organisations, researchers and educators to provide a consistent framework for program and research design, clinical skill development and delivery of harmonised health services across teams.
Download a summary of the evidence base that underpins HealthChange® Methodology.
Listen to an audio (6 min) by Janette Gale, founder of HealthChange Associates that outlines the theory base.
How was HealthChange Methodology developed?
The first course, 'Health Coaching for Health Professionals,' was developed in collaboration with Deakin University. It focused on teaching specific micro-skills from the psychology and behaviour change literature. However, the feedback from practising front-line health workers was that they not only wanted to know what skills to use with clients, but also, when to use them in the consultation. The unique components now contained in HealthChange Methodology are the result of the input from over 15,000 health professionals and years of applying the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. This is the scientific method recommended for Clinical Practice Improvement by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. This process transitioned the courses from a text book theory and skills focus to a robust clinical practice methodology.
Is HCM effective?
To date, no research project has directly compared 'usual' clinical practice to clinical practice using HCM. The case studies area shares anecdotal feedback from individual clinicians and organisations that have worked with HealthChange representatives over time to embed HCM into their services.
Browse the organisation case studies to find published papers and reports that outline the results from programs or services with which HealthChange Associates has been involved.
In recent years, HealthChange representatives have also worked with numerous research teams to embed HCM in their service delivery studies. Find published papers that incorporated elements of HCM into their design and delivery in the Researcher Case Studies area.
See case studiesOur story
Janette Gale, Health Psychologist founded HealthChange Associates in 2003. This 3 minute video outlines the company's origins.
Who we are
Since 2006, multi-disciplinary teams of skilled facilitators have delivered HCM courses across Australia, Canada, Singapore and Denmark.
Caroline Bills is now the Director of HealthChange Associates, a dedicated Clinical Practice Change Specialist and physiotherapist with a profound belief that everyone deserves a healthcare system that truly delivers. Her expertise lies in aiding professionals and leaders to embrace a systematic approach to practice, simplifying processes so that service providers can offer exceptional care through a well-equipped and purpose-driven workforce.
HealthChange Methodology is a practical training program enhanced by implementation tools designed to navigate the complexities of person-centred care. These tools offer a clear roadmap for mastering essential skills and systems required for personal encounters that make it more likely people do the things to achieve what matters to them.
The tools provide a roadmap for engagement and uptake of advice - simplifying what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Leaders benefit from HCM’s implementation tools as well, using them to bolster skills development and teamwork. This alignment of professional growth with quality standards and continuous improvement ensures a cohesive and efficient approach to healthcare delivery.
Caroline has been working with HealthChange Associates since 2010, helping organisations and researchers develop critical clinician skills and systems that flow through to meaningful and manageable changes to clinical practice.
'Delivering Train-the-Trainer programs across Australia, Canada and Singapore has been particularly satisfying. It's wonderful to see the results for patients, clinicians and organisations when health professionals deepen their knowledge and grow in confidence to apply the Methodology in different contexts.'
