Public health: PART 2 Brief interventions

This article is part two of a series exploring the role of the nurse, midwife and other health professionals within public health and the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) approach (Craig and Senior, 2018). This article will explore the use of brief interventions.

MECC (Public Health England et al, 2016) is an approach to behaviour change that uses the day-to-day interactions that nurses have with patients in order to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Brief interventions are linked with MECC through conversations where the health professional engages with individuals about their health and lifestyle choices.

Every day, nurses care for patients whose health-related behaviour and lifestyle choices have made a significant contribution to their illness, comorbidities or the likelihood of a premature death. Nurses have a duty to promote health (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2018). Addressing smoking, alcohol misuse, lack of physical activity and a poor diet contributing to obesity could make substantial improvements to health, wellbeing, life expectancy and, in turn, would help reduce health inequalities (Fuller, 2015; World Health Organization, 2017).