The broadening scope of health-related technology is having an increasingly greater impact on the world of health and wellness.

A growing number of savvy consumers interested in improving personal health and quality-of-life are seeking out technologies for many reasons.

As Health Coaches, we strive to embrace these tools to enhance our ability to guide patients and clients on the road to optimal health.

Unfortunately, the variety and complexity of relevant technology, along with the increased time required to assimilate these tools into coaching, leads to sub-optimal results, increased frustration and health coaching that is not cost-effective.

Although Health Coaching is a fulfilling profession, frustrations and difficulties can overshadow the positive outcomes sought. Helping patients and clients maximize positive lifestyle behaviors is a worthy goal but it is dependent upon a reliable and accurate flow of information between Health Coach and patient or client.

For example, obtaining correct dietary behavior data is vital to successful health coaching. The endless number of apps, logs and other nutritional gathering platforms available are cumbersome and are rarely, if ever, completed by patients or clients. As a result, Health Coaches use information that is not dependable, unusable or even non-existent.

Another example involves the multiple activity monitors and Apps that are on the market.

The accuracy, validity, and usefulness of results offers very little benefit if it cannot be easily and quickly reviewed and disseminated for each and every person on the coaching roster.  

A final example involves the critical importance of communication.  

Health Coaches must provide relevant, timely and actionable feedback to patients and clients. With the many modes and forms of interaction comes an organizational nightmare that inhibits a consistent free-flow of information that is vital to the health success of the patient or client.

Investigating current health coaching models reveals the unfortunate fact that Health Coaches must limit the number of individuals they are able to successfully coach. This constraint significantly reduces the cost effectiveness, satisfaction, and scope of each Health Coach.

Introducing A New Solution

It is with much anticipation and excitement that I share the solution.  Over the past several months I have been evaluating, testing and implementing a new health-related technology.  Nudge, a free HIPPA compliant consumer App is the catalyst for a powerful Health Coaching platform.  Nudge syncs and sorts data from market-leading health and fitness apps and integrates the results into a single dashboard for simple, actionable feedback. Nudge App also uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate a 30-day composite lifestyle score called the “Nudge Score”.  This score, along with the daily visual feedback, is motivating, understandable and inherently valuable due to its unbiased look at personal lifestyle behaviors.

My Experience So Far

As a result of using Nudge with my patients and clients, I have seen a marked increase in adherence to positive lifestyle behaviors.  Additionally, individuals who have struggled for years with health-related behaviors have finally shown improvements. I attribute this success directly to implementing the Nudge App with its user-friendly, practical, motivational, educational, and enjoyable format that allows patients and clients to help me help them.

The Nudge Health Coach platform multiplies the number of people that can be effectively and efficiently coached. The design and flow of the platform lets Health Coaches see the Nudge Score of lifestyle balance at-a-glance for all patients and clients, saving countless hours of time. Moreover, the simplicity of navigating through the data is amazing. The Health Coach can easily identify and select individuals to further analyze and see what is impacting their current level of lifestyle health. With this information instantly available, powerful feedback can be given directly through the Nudge App found on the patient or client’s smartphone. This valuable process takes a very little time and the result of this type of analysis and communication is priceless.

When implemented and used correctly, technology can play a significant role in successful health coaching contributing to an already exciting, stimulating, and rewarding profession. Unfortunately, health coaching can also be stressful, overwhelming, complicated and very time-consuming. Combining the easy-to-use Nudge App with the effectiveness of the Nudge Coaching platform, allows maximum benefits and improved success for all involved!