Evaluation of a Health Coaching Course for Providers and Staff in Veterans Health Affairs Medical Facilities.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a health coaching (HC) course for providers and staff in Veterans Health Affairs medical facilities resulted in increased attitudes toward, intentions to use, and actual use of HC.A Whole Health Coaching Course was developed and implemented in national sites in 2014. A pre-post intervention group only design was used to assess changes in HC outcomes, including use of HC skills.There were large pre- to posttest increases in preparedness and self-efficacy that were sustained at follow-up. Initial small increases in attitudes toward patient-centered care and intentions to use HC skills were not sustained at follow-up. There was a medium-sized increase in actual use of HC skills between pre-test and follow-up.Findings suggest that participation in the HC course is an effective means for providers and staff to increase preparedness, self-efficacy, and actual use of health coaching skills.