• Elizabeth Sturgiss, Jenny Advocat, Lauren Ball, Lauren T Williams, Pallavi Prathivadi, and Alexander M Clark.
• School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
• Fam Pract. 2022 Sep 24; 39 (5): 891-896.

BackgroundThe 5As framework is a recognized underpinning of behaviour change guidelines, teaching, and research in primary care. Supporting patients to improve their lifestyle behaviours, including diet and physical activity, is a common aspect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. The 5As framework often informs behaviour change for patients with T2DM.ObjectiveTo explore the experience and perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) and primary care academics and behaviour change experts regarding using the 5As framework when caring for patients with T2DM to better understand how and why the 5As are effective in practice.MethodsWe recruited 20 practising GPs, primary care academics, and behaviour change experts for an individual semistructured interview and analysed the data using a realist evaluation approach.ResultsThere were diverse accounts of how GPs use the 5As in practice and few of the participants could name each "A." The 5As were commonly regarded as a framework best suited to beginners and although GPs expressed they followed the broad direction of the 5As, they did not consciously follow the framework in an instructive manner. Elements that could enhance the 5As included more emphasis on motivational interviewing, changing how "Ask" is included in the consultation, and increased person-centredness.ConclusionAlthough it is a ubiquitous framework in primary care, the 5As are understood in diverse ways and applied variably in practice. There is room to enhance how the 5As support behaviour change consultations to optimize outcomes in primary care.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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