The Health Belief Model is a model that nurses use in elucidating and predicting the behaviors of patients in relation to their adherence to healthcare interventions. The model aims at changing psychosocial factors that shape the beliefs of patients and consequently change their behaviors in line with the healthcare services that they receive. The Health Belief Model holds that the way patients perceive their conditions, the nature of healthcare services, and the prognosis of their conditions determine healthcare outcomes. According to Bayat et al., Health Belief Model shapes constructs such as “perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy.” In my experience as a nurse, I have applied the Health Belief Model in educating diabetic patients on how to manage their conditions. Since most of the diabetic patients were unaware of their conditions and thus unable to manage diabetes appropriately, I took them through an educational program, which focused on changing their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs.
At the end of the educational program, the diabetic patients were able to manage their conditions because of the knowledge and skills that they gained, coupled with a positive attitude and beliefs towards the management interventions. Carpenter states that the Health Belief Model increases the perception of benefits and self-efficacy while reducing perceptions of barriers, severity, and susceptibility to diseases. My understanding of the model enabled me to implement the educational program effectively, which led to positive outcomes in the management of diabetes among diabetic patients. Without this model, I would have focused on the use of diabetic medications only and would have overlooked the psychosocial needs of patients. Thus, the Health Belief Model has guided me in taking diabetic patients through a comprehensive educational program aimed at changing their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs regarding their conditions and management.