The study results suggest the potential of the ICS-ICT Barcelona's approach to enhance COPD management. Moreover, it allowed identification of the factors limiting transferability to the other sites. The research prompts the need for large multicenter trials specifically designed to assess effectiveness, efficiencies and transferability of this type of intervention.

The underlying reason for participating in a DSME was the participants' experience of having insufficient information about their diabetes, which led to practical problems and emotional insecurity. Being aware of the patients' reasons for participating can help professionals keep a focus which is more consistent with patients' needs.

An early start of exercise training did not increase VO2peak compared to 4 weeks of delay. For low-risk patients with high motivation for exercise training, home-based walking is an option as a moderate start of cardiac rehabilitation the first weeks after MI.

BackgroundDevelopment of more self-management support programmes in primary health care has been one option used to enhance positive outcomes in chronic disease management. At present, research results provide no consensus on what would be the best way to develop support programmes into new settings. The aim of the present study was therefore to explore users’ and health professionals’ perceptions of what would be the vital elements in a self - management support programme applicable in primary health care, how to account for them, and why.MethodsFour qualitative, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted in Central Norway. The informants possessed experience in development, provision, or participation in a self-management support programme. Data was analysed by the Systematic Text Condensation method.ResultsThe results showed an overall positive expectation to the potential benefits of development of a self-management support programme in primary health care. Despite somewhat different arguments and perspectives, the users and the health professionals had a joint agreement on core characteristics; a self-management support programme in primary health care should therefore be generic, not disease specific, and delivered in a group- based format. A special focus should be on the everyday- life of the participants. The most challenging aspect was a present lack of competence and experience among health professionals to moderate self-management support programmes.ConclusionsThe development and design of a relevant and applicable self-management support programme in primary health care should balance the interests of the users with the possibilities and constraints within each municipality. It would be vital to benefit from the closeness of the patients’ every-day life situations. The user informants’ perception of a self-management support programme as a supplement to regular medical treatment represented an expanded understanding of the self-management support concept. An exploring approach should be applied in the development of the health professionals’ competence in practice. The effect of a self-management support programme based on the core characteristics found in this study needs to be evaluated.

I et pilotprosjekt med utprøving av samarbeidsstillinger, deltok fem ansatte i sykehus og fem universitetsansatte fra fire helsefaglige profesjonsutdanninger. Hver av dem hadde 20 % stilling øremerket formålet. Hensikten med studien var å utforske forventninger til samarbeidsstillinger og erfaringer med å ha øremerkede stillinger for samarbeid. Innsamling av data ble gjort gjennom fokusgruppeintervjuer før og etter prosjektet, med de som inngikk i stillingene. Dataanalysen var inspirert av Malteruds systematiske tekstkondensering. Resultatene viser at samarbeidsstillinger må forankres i ledelsen og blant kollegaer, både i utdanning og praksisfelt. Samarbeidsstillinger kan bidra til å øke status for praksisdelen av profesjonsutdanningene ved å legge til rette for nye samarbeidsarenaer.  Etablering av systematikk i samarbeidet gjennom bruk av nye pedagogiske tilnærminger som SVIP-modellen og hovedveiledermodellen, kan styrke rollen til praksisveiledere og gi dem økt kompetanse i veiledning av studenter. Nye pedagogiske møtepunkter og tydeligere rollefordeling i praksisveiledning av studenter vil også kunne styrke samarbeidet mellom utdanning og praksisfelt.