Self-management education: History, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms

Abstract

Self-management has become a popular term for behavioral interventions as well as for healthful behaviors. This is especially true for the management of chronic conditions. This article offers a short history of self-management. It presents three self-management tasks--medical management, role management, and emotional management--and six self-management skills--problem solving, decision making, resource utilization, the formation of a patient-provider partnership, action planning, and self-tailoring. In addition, the article presents evidence of the effectiveness of self-management interventions and posits a possible mechanism, self-efficacy, through which these interventions work. In conclusion the article discusses problems and solutions for integrating self-management education into the mainstream health care systems.

Improving Delivery of Secondary Prophylaxis for Rheumatic Heart Disease in a High‐Burden Setting: Outcome of a Stepped‐Wedge, Community, Randomized Trial

“…Among the 10 clinics, only 4 action items in the self‐management support domain were undertaken (Table S2). Self‐management has many definitions but is understood to be an approach to chronic disease management that acknowledges patients as active participants in their treatment and encourages them to make informed decisions about care and engage in healthy behaviors 31, 32. Self‐management is poorly named for our setting because Australian Aboriginal culture universally values group identity.…”

Empowerment in adolescents and young adults with cancer: Relationship with health‐related quality of life

“…Interventions could focus on 1 or all 4 domains of empowerment. First, the sense of personal strength can be positively influenced by self‐management (ie, the comprehensive engagement of the AYA patient in problem solving, decision making, and daily health‐related behaviors in partnership with health care professionals and community) 31. Self‐management will help patients to manage the medical aspects of cancer by managing life roles (including changes in roles brought by cancer) and managing the psychosocial consequences of cancer 32.…”

Psychological aspects of prostate cancer: a clinical review

“…86 Self-management, in contrast, encompasses an interactive process whereby individual responses and behavior aimed at managing physical and psychosocial consequences of symptoms and treatment are guided by a clinician, often involving therapeutic approaches. 87 To be successful, self-management needs to convey the 'ability to monitor one's condition and to affect the cognitive, behavioral and emotional responses necessary to maintain a satisfactory QOL. Many self-management interventions aimed at empowering cancer survivors by providing information, education and practical strategies to enhance well-being have been developed and tested over the last decade.…”