Supporting patient health behaviour change by primary care teams: A patient centred approach to clinical encounters

Proposed supervisory team:

Director of Studies: Dr Jeff Breckon
Supervisor 1: Dr Ollie Hart
Supervisor 2: Professor Maddy Arden


The PhD research will examine the efficacy of developing the capabilities of both patients and professionals in promoting health behaviour change to manage long-term health conditions (LTCs). There is an increasing demand on primary care teams to deliver lifestyle behaviour change interventions and advice (e.g. physical activity, diet change, alcohol and smoking cessation) yet there is scant support and training available to ensure this is delivered in an effective manner.

This PhD research will develop and implement an approach in primary care tailored to empowering and enabling patients to increase their autonomy and independence toward lifestyle adaptations.