title: Can a 3-hour educational workshop and the provision of practical tools encourage family physicians to prescribe physical activity as medicine? A pre-post study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To increase, in our sample, the proportion of family physicians who provided their patients with written physical activity prescriptions after the delivery of a 3-hour educational workshop with the provision of practical tools to facilitate behaviour change.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre-post study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Abbotsford and Mission, British Columbia.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 158 physicians registered with the Abbotsford (121) or Mission (37) Divisions of Family Practice were invited to participate.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 3-hour educational workshop combined with practical tools. Educational content of the workshop included (1) assessing patients' physical activity levels, (2) using motivational interviewing techniques to encourage physical activity and (3) providing written physical activity prescriptions when appropriate. Practical tools to facilitate physician behaviour changes included a 'physical activity vital sign', and copies of the Exercise is Medicine Canada Prescription Pad. Participating physicians completed a bespoke questionnaire before and 4 weeks after their attendance at the workshop.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was the change in the proportion of family physicians who reported providing written physical activity prescriptions. Exploratory outcomes included changes in other physical activity prescription behaviours, the perceived importance of various barriers to prescription, and knowledge and confidence in regards to physical activity prescription. McNemar's test evaluated changes in proportions before and after the workshop, while Wilcoxon signed-rank tests evaluated changes in Likert data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  25 family physicians completed the baseline questionnaire and attended the workshop, with 100% follow-up response rate. The proportion of family physicians who reported providing written physical activity prescriptions in their clinical practice increased significantly (p<0.05), from 10 (40%) at baseline to 17 (68%) 4 weeks after the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational workshops combined with practical tools appear to be a promising method to encourage the use of written physical activity prescriptions among family physicians in this setting, over the short term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Johann
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5517-2609
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Windt
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Adriaan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Windt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Department of Population & Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D001955:British Columbia; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Exercise Prescription; Family Practice; MEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING; Physical activity prescription