An exploration of the relevance of counselling in the management of non communicable diseases in a selected hospital in Lusaka district, in Zambia.
NCD (Non Communicable diseases) are a global concern and described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a major killer causing over 35 million deaths globally. Zambia is no exception, as MOH reports that Zambia is currently experiencing a high burden of NCD‟s as well. Change is at the cornerstone of NCD management, as its emergence is due to the change in life style habits. Change however is not an easy task for many. This the study explored how relevant counselling is in the management of NCD‟s. Counselling being on helping profession that assists people reach their self-determined goals, such as embracing a new lifestyle resulting in a reduced incidence of NCD‟s which is a desired outcome and prevent the development of NCD complications. A qualitative study of the relevance of counseling in NCD management was conducted, using an exploratory qualitative study design. Critical purposive sampling technique, a qualitative data tool was utilized to identify the sample size. Data was collected using in depth interviews with NCD patient (n-20) and healthcare workers (n-10). Data was managed and coded accordingly and analyzed thematically. Overall counselling was viewed as important by both NCD patients and healthcare workers in the management of NCD‟s. This was influenced by the countless benefits that counselling offered to the NCD patients and the Health care system. The results further revealed the lack of behavioral counselling offered to NCD. It also revealed how polarized the health system was towards HIV care. Furthermore, the overwhelming desire for counselling to be made available for NCD patients and was also revealed. The relevance of counselling in the management of NCD‟s was widely accepted as important and that it had a lot of benefits to offer NCD patients. Key to relevance of counselling in the management of NCD‟s was its ability to offer numerous benefits to NCD patients. The future adoption of counselling in NCD management should be considered as an additional tool that could strengthen the already existing framework in the management of NCD‟s.
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