Exercise is Medicine

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Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) is a nonprofit initiative co-launched by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA), with support from the Office of the Surgeon General and the 18th Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, on November 5, 2007.

Video Exercise is Medicine

Overview & history

The Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative calls for physical activity to be included as a standard part of medical treatment and the patient care process. EIM urges healthcare providers to assess the physical activity levels of their patients at every visit, provide physically inactive patients with brief counseling, and to 'write' a basic exercise prescription. Before leaving the clinic setting, inactive patients should also receive a referral to available physical activity resources in the local community to assist them in becoming more physically active.

EIM was started by then ACSM President Robert E. Sallis, MD, FACSM in 2007, who has continued to serve as the Chair of the EIM initiative since its inception. Under the guidance of Dr. Sallis and the EIM Advisory Board, Adrian Hutber, PhD, served as the first Vice President of EIM and has overseen the global development of the initiative over its first decade of existence. From 2007-2017, EIM grew into a "global health" initiative with a presence in more than 40 countries worldwide. The initial five years of the initiative focused on increasing global awareness that "exercise is good medicine". More recently, efforts have shifted more towards the strategic implementation of the EIM Solution in healthcare systems.

Maps Exercise is Medicine

The Exercise is Medicine Solution

The Exercise is Medicine Solution is the practical implementation of EIM in a health system. The EIM Solution is designed as a simple, brief four-step process that can be carried in the clinic setting in under than five minutes by the entire healthcare team.

1. The first step, and initiator, of the EIM Solution is the systematic assessment of every patient's physical activity levels. The Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) is an evidence- and practice-based tool for assessing patient physical activity levels that has been successfully integrated into the Kaiser Permanente health systems of Northern and Southern California, as well as in Intermountain Health.

2. The second step of the EIM Solution provides eligible patients (i.e., patients who are not completing 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity in a week) with a basic physical activity prescription. Prescriptions can be given out in a number of different formats including written exercise prescriptions using a pad (a format that patients are familiar with in receiving prescriptions for medications) to semi-customized physical activity prescriptions for specific health conditions. The first major exercise prescription program was the Green Prescription started by the Sport and Recreation New Zealand in 1998.

3. In addition to giving a physical activity prescription, healthcare providers may also wish to provide their patients with brief physical activity counseling. Several physical activity counseling models have been shown to be effective in increasing patient physical activity levels including the 5As, motivation interviewing, and the use of the transtheoretical model.

4. The final, and perhaps most crucial, component of the EIM Solution is ensuring that all eligible patients receive a physical activity referral to supportive resources to assist them in engaging in greater physical activity levels. Patients may be referred to existing physical activity resources within a health system (i.e., wellness programs, physical therapy clinics and programs), self-directed programs (i.e., walking programs, smartphone apps), or community-based resources. Within the community setting, all physical activity places (i.e., YMCAs), programs, and exercise professionals should be considered for inclusion in a larger physical activity network.

src: exerciseismedicine.org

Exercise is Medicine in Action

Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC) is a program calling upon universities and colleges to engage in promoting physical activity as a vital sign on college and university campuses. EIM-OC encourages faculty, staff and students to work together toward improving the health and well-being of the campus community by: a) assessing physical activity at every student health visit, b) providing students with the tools necessary to strengthen healthy physical activity habits, and c) connecting university health care providers with campus exercise specialists to provide a referral system for exercise prescription. Currently, there are more than 150 registered EIM-OC campus program in the U.S., with an equal number of international programs.

The Exercise is Medicine Credential is a specialized designation earned by exercise professionals who work closely with the health care sector. The EIM Credential prepares exercise professionals to work as an extended part of the health care team and effectively collaborate with health care providers. Through this partnership, a closer relationship and line of communication is developed to assist patients who need specialized fitness programming in order to change their health behaviors and improve health outcomes.

The month of May has been designated as Exercise is Medicine Month to bring awareness to and focus on the issue of physical inactivity - one of the fastest growing public health concerns. Local communities are encouraged to celebrate EIM Month by hosting events that highlight collaborations between health systems and the local community.

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EIM Supporters

Numerous health and professional organizations have signed on in partnership of the Exercise is Medicine initiative including: the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the Foundation for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (FPM&R), the Medical Fitness Association (MFA), and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA).

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The EIM Global Health Network

Over its first decade of existence, EIM has expanded to include partners in more than 40 countries worldwide. The EIM Global Health Network consists of EIM Regional Centers in Chile (EIM Latin America), Germany (EIM Europe), and Singapore (EIM Southeast Asia) that help oversee the expansion and development of the initiative in their respective regions.

To establish an EIM National Center, national leaders in a country are required to enlist the support of a national primary care organization, a national sports medicine and/or exercise science organization, as well a leading academic institution. It is also strongly encouraged that the national ministry of health is also invited to participate as a part of the National Center. The National Center is host by a national institution (an academic institution, health organization, or other non-profit organization) under the direction of a National Center Director, acting on behalf of the National Center Advisory Board.

EIM National Centers have been formally established in the following countries:

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See also

• Exercise prescription
• Physical therapy

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References

src: www.westfield.ma.edu

External links

• Official website

Source of article : Wikipedia