Prescribing exercise for health: a simple framework for primary care.
Physicians need to become committed to promoting the preventive benefits of regular physical activity. Practical strategies can help physicians efficiently and effectively incorporate exercise counseling into their practices. These strategies include regularly asking about leisure activity and linking the agenda of an office visit to the benefits of exercise. The physician and the patient should work together to formulate a mutually acceptable plan for the patient to adopt and maintain a healthful exercise lifestyle. In the same way that prescriptions are written for medications, a prescription can be given for an exercise plan suited to the individual patient.
Will
P M
PM
Reading Hospital and Medical Center, West Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.
Demko
T M
TM
George
D L
DL
D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care; D014481:United States