Evaluation of a Health Coaching Educational Program for Unlicensed Healthcare Workers

For underserved communities, affordable, efficient health care can be nearly inaccessible. This often leads to the exclusion of these communities from access to relevant health information and care, and increases the probability of poor health outcomes. Health coaching by unlicensed health care workers is an option to provide inclusive, culturally relevant, comprehensive care to these individuals. The health coach works with the health care team to provide effective, patient-centered care. An educational program was developed to train unlicensed health care workers in health coaching skills and specific chronic disease issues. Two of the educational modules were sent to an expert panel for review. Survey questions addressed the quality, content and activities of the training program, and comprehensiveness and understandability of the information. The information was utilized to improve the educational modules and in the development of future educational modules for the program.