einstein (São Paulo). 01/Jan/2016;14(1):vii-xiv.

Behavioral sciences in clinical practice

DOI: 10.1590/S1679-45082016ED3647

Suppose you have a patient sitting in front of you. She is a 58-year-old woman who works a lot and reports a high level of daily stress. She is hypertensive, smoker for more than 30 years, is overweight and has not been exercising regularly. She came to see you because of low back pain and poor sleep. As a healthcare professional, you want to help her. One major goal is to address the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but you will also want to alleviate her current acute conditions. At this stage, you can simply follow the guidelines^, and give her advice on the benefits of exercise, weight loss, healthy eating and decreased sodium intake, inform her about atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risks and prescribe medication on an evidence basis.

But will these recommendations really work? Do you take the patient through all of these topics, select a few, or let her direct the conversation? Will she adhere to your recommendations? And how can you know? What are the applicable incentives and penalties for complying or not with these guidelines? Are there other variables that should be included in this equation?

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