The applications of NLP in the NHS


by Sadie Lipshitz


Neuro-linguistic programming has a range of applications within the NHS. NLP techniques can help doctors achieve more effective communication with patients, as well as helping managers lead the organisation more effectively. Furthermore, NLP is being used as a treatment for things like obesity and smoking addiction, helping patients take responsibility for their own wellbeing.

Due to the nature of the job, doctors often suffer from stress, especially if they don't have effective coping strategies to help them deal with the pressures of their professional lives. Using NLP techniques can help medical professionals to reclaim a feeling of control, become happier and therefore provide patients with a better standard of care. NLP training can also help doctors become better communicators, bringing a greater sense of purpose to their interactions with both colleagues and patients.

Similarly, patients themselves can benefit greatly from learning NLP techniques, particularly if their problems are psychological in nature (nearly 40% of appointments with GPs are to do with psychological issues). As well as doctors using NLP to help patients understand the nature of their condition, patients can use NLP techniques as a tool for modifying patterns of thinking and behaviour, ultimately replacing damaging, negative thoughts with a positive attitude. Quite often, patients suffering from things like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or panic attacks may find that NLP complements the medication they have been prescribed.

Many PCTs have already incorporated NLP into their training programmes. Doctors, managers and directors have received leadership training based on NLP, and these techniques have also been used to improve employees' communication skills, motivation and stress levels.

Ultimately, the NHS exists to provide the best possible standard of patient care. There are a range of ways in which NLP techniques can make the NHS run more smoothly, and this is good news for patients.




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