Measuring Confidence
What?
The staff member assesses the patient’s confidence (self-efficacy) to complete the action plan.
How?
The staff member asks the patient to rate how confident they are about completing the action plan using a 10-point visual analogue scale (0 = not at all confident; 10 = very confident).
If the staff member feels the using the visual analogue scale will be confusing or unhelpful, they can just ask the patient, “How confident do you feel you will be able to complete the plan?” You can break this down a bit more by adding… “Really confident; A bit confident; Not at all confident?”
Why?
The more confident the patient is they can successfully follow through with the plan, the more likely they are to do it. A lack of confidence (score of less than 7) would suggest the plan should be adjusted to optimise the chances of successful completion.
Outcome
The health professional and patient will agree an action plan that the patient is confident they can successfully complete.
Documentation in G-AP record
In the example below, the person was not very confident they would be able to call the GP for a repeat prescription because she was concerned about getting anxious and forgetting what she had to say. After putting the coping plan in place (bullet point list) she rated her confidence as high (8 on the visual analogue scale)
