The term "behaviour change" refers to the practice of changing someone’s behaviour through committed action or intervention.
In relation to healthcare practice, it refers to the process of moving from our current behaviour or habit to a new target behaviour that positively influences the health of individuals or groups.
Some past examples of this in healthcare include:
- Implementing mask-wearing during COVID-19
- Vaccine campaigns
- The introduction of medication administration records
- Implementing restrictions on prescribing antibiotics on the reserve list
All of the above involve people doing something differently to improve safety and healthcare outcomes.
The key message of behaviour change and behaviour change intervention is:
We need to stop asking ‘what more could I learn about this?’ and move toward ‘what could I be doing differently?’
