Category: HEARTe

Research shows that supporting self management can improve:

• self confidence / self efficacy
• self care behaviours
• quality of life
• clinical outcomes
• patterns of healthcare use

A review of almost 600 studies found that when people are supported to look after themselves, they feel better, enjoy life more and have less need to visit GP’s or hospitals.

Helping people help themselves, A review of the evidence considering whether it is worthwhile to support self management Health Foundation May 2011, Health Foundation

Glossary

The person is in the driving seat on this road to self management. On each side of the road consider the various people that may be important to the person.

Formalised Support: This includes structured services run by the NHS, Local Authority, voluntary organisations and other independent groups.

Informal support: This includes the large variety of support around us – family, friends and within our communities.

Glossary

• For some people an episode of living with a heart condition may be short lived. However for most patients it will alter the way they live their life and will impact on their family and friends in some way.
• It is likely that they will need to adjust to this different health scenario and make changes, either major or minor, to their lifestyle.
• It is also generally the case that these changes will continue for the rest of their life.
• Support, care and treatment from formal health and social care services will be a crucial part of that long term management.
• However for the vast majority of the time the patient will be managing their condition on their own and/or with support from family, friends and the wider community they are part of.

Glossary

The key message in this definition is that all three elements of the triangle need to be addressed. There is also a very strong interaction between them – a persons emotional reaction to their condition clearly will affect their motivation to pursue a self-management approach, the social impact might be more crucial to address than the physical (debt, loss of employment etc). Successful self management will happen when there is support for all three elements.

Glossary

This framework is useful at illustrating the process of HBC. This may be useful to those of you unfamiliar to HBC models to consider in terms of developing your practice within consultations and patient interactions. These models can look different but contain similar components.

Another model which enhances cardiovascular care in practice and is illustrated within the case scenarios and in the videos is Health Behaviour Change (HBC).

Glossary

All communication styles have their appropriate place and use, and successful communication involves mixing and matching to each individuals consultation.

Within Health Behaviour Change (HBC), there are a number of communication techniques that can enhance patient engagement including Motivational Interviewing.

Glossary