My office at Healthy Interactions is located in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. Since I live in the suburbs, I commute in on the train. After arriving at Union Station, I walk about a mile north to our office. In the winter, I often walk up Wacker Drive so the tall buildings can shield me from the wind and cold. As I head north every morning, I gaze up into a health club that is located on the second floor of an office building. The club looks fairly empty with the exception of a young woman working out on a stair machine. Every day, the same woman is on the same stair machine. Even from out of the corner of my eye, I can see her climbing very hard and very fast. I often wonder, what motivates her? She is on the same machine every day. Doesn’t she get bored? If you have visited Chicago, you know it is a beautiful city. Her view from the stair machine is overlooking a parking garage. It is a view, but not the best. Maybe she has done this for months or years, and if it keeps her in good shape, why should she do another form of exercise? Would a change in her routine be beneficial for her body and mind?
I speak to many of you who are interested in using the diabetes Conversation Map tools, but who are so comfortable with using your lectures or printed materials that you don’t want to try another piece of “equipment.” The lecture method is your stair machine. You feel it is reliable; it works, so why make a change? Why jump off and try something else? Maybe you have a coworker who has recommended you try a Map session, but really, how much different could it be?
Though the stair climber can offer great cardiovascular and calorie burning benefits, it does not offer the same benefits of an activity such as yoga, meditation, weight training, or even walking along the lakefront. Additionally, using the same machine too much can lead to boredom and burnout. Do you ever feel that way after doing the same “Introduction to Diabetes” lecture for the 30th time?
The National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Guiding Principles state that, “DSME has evolved from primarily didactic presentations to more theoretically based empowerment models.” While a lecture may seem like your only option for providing DSME, the Maps and the Map experience provide something lectures do not – addressing your patients’ needs and agenda first, as well as an opportunity for them to learn from other people who have diabetes.
You may approach your lectures like the young woman approaches the stair machine – it is something reliable, may get the job done, but can get stale after awhile. Just like a walk along the lakefront can lift the spirits better than walking indoors, so can delivering education via a Conversation Map session provide a much-needed change to your patient education session.
Can you share your story of the first time you abandoned your usual lecture in favor of a Map session? How did it go?
We all know that there are many different tools to deliver diabetes education, just like there are many ways to exercise. But what is it that makes one tool better or more engaging than another? I spoke to an educator yesterday who did a small study using pre- and post- tests that compared Conversation Map sessions to didactic sessions. The study showed that the patients learned more during a Conversation Map session than a traditional lecture. Her hospital then converted ALL of their sessions to Map sessions.
You really don’t know if a change is for the better until you try. If you need any help getting started, just contact me!
Cathy