The importance of self management
If patients understand how to recognise and act on symptoms, how to make effective use of medication and how to access appropriate services at the right time they should experience gains in health status and reduced dependence on health services. Self management is also about helping people manage work and leisure activities and developing strategies to deal with the psychological consequences of illness.
Self management
We aim to ensure that all patients with COPD or Asthma are effectively supported to manage their condition, have positive interactions with healthcare professionals, and engage with others who have COPD to share information, support and advice. This includes finding ways to:
- provide comprehensive information, support and education to help people understand their condition, what they can do to maintain health and how to recognise and respond to symptoms
- monitor symptoms and provide early intervention with follow up, including plans for responding to exacerbations
- provide advice on and access to physical activity, pulmonary rehabilitation and psychological therapy
- provide information, tools and techniques that allow patients to better manage their own condition
National improvement projects have looked at a number of different examples of self management plans. However, an important message from all the projects is that the plan is less important that the planning. In other words, the document alone will not improve patients’ ability or willingness to take more responsibility for the management of their own health and condition. Factors affecting the effectiveness of self management approaches include:
- communication skills
- time
- available support in a crisis
- access to and understanding of rescue medication
- involvement of carers
- understanding of the condition
- inhaler technique
New online self-management support resource centre
The Health Foundation has launched a new online self management support resource centre.
The resource centre provides information and practical tools that can be adopted and adapted locally to enable services and health professionals to develop their own self management support programmes.
It builds on learning from the Health Foundation’s Co-creating Health programme and a wide range of national and international evidence. It’s a good starting point to learn more about what self management support is, how it can be implemented and the business case for commissioning.
The Health Foundation has also recently published a review of the evidence for the value of self management planning.
The Chronic Care Model developed by Wagner et al discusses the changes needed to care delivery and quality to meet the needs of a growing number of people with long term conditions. It identifies self management as one of the four essential elements in delivering high quality care for long term conditions, which is associated with improvement in outcomes, including use of unscheduled care.
Read Wagner's article on using the chronic care model: Improving Chronic Illness Care: Translating Evidence Into Action
If appropriate models are adopted widely and consistently we should see patients reporting increased confidence in living with their condition and ultimately reductions in emergency bed days. See the resources page for examples of plans and tools you can use in your own work
More information:
For more information on this workstream contact:
Catherine Blackaby
National Improvement Lead
Lung Improvement Programme
NHS Improvement
Mobile: 0782 519 3616
Email: catherine.blackaby@improvement.nhs.uk