Lofit
LOFIT: Lifestyle front Office For Integrating lifestyle medicine in the Treatment of patients: a novel care-model towards community-based options for lifestyle change
About LOFIT
LOFIT is a four year research project financed by ZonMw. LOFIT builds upon previous experience with exercise is medicine studies. In LOFIT we will actually implement a lifestyle front office in secondary and tertiary care to provide guidance to patients with a non-communicable disease on lifestyle medicine related topics.
LOFIT is coordinated by Amsterdam UMC – location VUmc. In Amsterdam UMC (location VUmc and AMC), UMC Groningen and Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen (OZG) a lifestyle front office will be implemented. This project is a collaboration with universities, universities of applied sciences, insurance companies, and community based lifestyle initiatives.
Contact details
LOFIT Amsterdam UMC
LOFIT UMC Groningen
Background
Lifestyle change is difficult, but rather important for disease deterioration among non-communicable disease patients. Time constraints and competing priorities of health care professionals limit the possibility to interact with the patient and explore in-depth options for lifestyle change. Therefore, in LOFIT we integrate lifestyle medicine in secondary and tertiary care by organizing an innovative dedicated lifestyle front office to refer to.
The LOFIT project will investigate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of implementation of this lifestyle front office to provide evidence for future uptake in care as usual.
Lifestyle front office
An employee of this lifestyle front office, the lifestyle broker, will build in dialogue with the patient motivation for lifestyle change on topics such as: daily physical activity and sedentary behavior, healthy eating, quit smoking and use of alcohol, dealing with stress and sufficient sleep quality.
The lifestyle broker will refer the patients to local community-based lifestyle initiatives. The lifestyle broker will remain contact with the patient and community-based lifestyle initiatives and send progress reports to the health care professional in the hospital. The lifestyle front office will bridge communication between patient, hospital and the community.
Essential ingredients of a hospital-based lifestyle front office
Health care professional can refer the patient easily
Lifestyle broker has time for the patient to discuss lifestyle
Lifestyle broker has expertise to change behavior
Lifestyle broker has knowledge of lifestyle initiatives in the region
Lifestyle broker will inform lifestyle initiative about referral
Lifestyle broker remains in contact with lifestyle initiatives and patient
Lifestyle broker will communicate progress to health care professional
Lifestyle front office is the connecting factor between the hospital and the region