The Patient Promise
As a healthcare professional, I understand that:
- Our society is increasingly burdened by chronic diseases, many of which may be minimized or even prevented through healthy lifestyle behaviors.
- My role within this society is to restore, maintain, and enhance the health of my patient by offering guidance, hope, and advocacy.
- My actions and inactions reflect my priorities, influence my credibility, and affect the well-being of my patient.
- My position therefore calls me to lead by example and practice healthy lifestyle behaviors comparable to those I would ask of my patient.
Thus for the sake of my health and that of my patient, I promise to work towards the following ideals:
- I will engage in regular physical activity.
- I will consume a balanced and nutritious diet.
- I will refrain from the use of harmful substances.
- I will diminish personal stressors and look after my mental well-being.
- I will encourage my patient to adopt these healthy lifestyle behaviors.
- I will work alongside my patient as a partner in this journey.
- I will identify and guard myself from potential prejudices against my patient based on unhealthy behaviors, recognizing the often complex origins of these habits.
- I will respect and seek to understand the beliefs and traditions of my patient that affect his or her health.
- I will do my part to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors within my community.
Recognizing that enduring change of this nature requires time and continual reinforcement, I make this promise freely and upon my honor to myself and to my patient.
