Self-management has the potential to improve the lives of patients living with chronic conditions dramatically. However, to successfully deal with the different components of self-management, patients have to develop and eventually master the core self-management skills.
These include problem solving, decision-making, utilizing resources, strong healthcare provider partnership, and taking action. These skills enable patients to achieve their goals within the different components of self-management, which ultimately leads to higher levels of well-being and better health outcomes. (Download the whitepaper to learn about the components of Self-Management)
Fostering Better Self-Management in Patient Support Programs
If designed effectively, patient support programs can ensure that the key components of self-management can be leveraged to help patients build the five key self-management skills, along with the confidence to successfully self-manage their condition. (Download the whitepaper to learn about the five core Self-Managements skills)
- Enhancement of self-efficacy should be considered a key aim of any patient support program, as it enables patients to feel more in-control of their condition.
- Understanding Patients’ intrinsic motivation - Being motivated means being moved to do something. People can be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. Understanding patients’ intrinsic motivation can help PSPs to frame messages aimed at changing their behavior for the better. If patients can be reconnected to what they value from being healthier, they can be more intrinsically driven to achieve successful self-management.
- Ensure Goal-setting as a tool- as explicit as possible in order to increase motivation and make the evaluation of progress easier. A patient’s level of confidence could be used as a measure to evaluate action plan feasibility, to ensure plans are realistic and have a high probability of achievement.
- Education should evolve as the patient’s “know-how” develops - both the scope of target behavior goals and the complexity of the program should evolve with the patient to maintain interest, along with rewarding the progress that happens outside the actual behavior change.
Download the full Whitepaper ‘Enabling Patient Self-Management in Patient Support Programs: A Practical Guide for Pharma’ which includes:
- Understanding Components of Self-Management
- Five Core Skills for Patient Self-Managing
- Design Recommendations to Foster Better Self-Management in Patient Support Programs
