Improve Your Skills in Prescribing Physical Activity

Using the 5 A's has proved to be an effective tool to assist GPs in providing physical activity advice.

Ask your patients about physical activity

Did you know that poor physical fitness is a stronger predictor of morbidty and mortality than obesity or hyperlipidemia? Therefore asking your patients about physical activity should be just as routine for you as reviewing a lipid profile or weighing your patients.

Make it a routine practice to ask "How many times per week do you do 30mins of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity?", in every long consultation.

Assess

Do they meet the minimum recommendations of 30mins of moderate to vigorous intensity activity on most days of the week? If so, provide positive reinforcement.

If not, assess by asking:

"What types of physical activity or exercise do you enjoy?"
"What are the key barriers for you to being more physically active?"

Advise
  • Identify strong and meaningful goals with the patient, connecting the benefits of physical activity to thier goals.
  • Discuss a plan with the patient on how they might be able to start activities that they enjoy
  • If barriers are predominent, consider referring to an Exercise Physiologist. Click here to to refer to an EP at Movement Medicine.

Assist


Arrange

  • Refer to an Exercise Physiologist to support you. Click here.
  • Refer patients without chronic conditions to a community physical activity program. Click here.
  • Organise timeframes for review (2-4 months)