Cultural context and self-care impact on medical students' quality of life. A mixed-methods approach

BACKGROUND

Medical education can make it difficult for students to take actions to improve their health.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the influence of the university context on self-care behaviors and quality of life.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A mixed-methods approach was used, with surveys being combined to assess self-care and quality of life, with in-depth interviews to explore cultural influences and perceptions. Statistical analysis and qualitative data coding were carried out, with methods being integrated through network analysis.

RESULTS

Self-care scores exceeded 50 points, and quality of life scores exceeded 60 points. Medical students' context is shaped by motivations, expectations, skills, and goals that influence identity formation and contribute to the medical profession.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a positive connection between self-care practices and quality of life. However, academic stress can potentially disrupt self-care routines. Furthermore, an association between obesity and a decrease in quality of life stands out, which emphasizes the need for health promotion actions.

Home hospitalization of the acute patient: a new approach to care

Pediatric hospitalization at home (HAH) aims to provide the patient and his family with an alternative to conventional hospitalization, safely and effectively, improving the quality of life of the patient and his family. The most frequent pathologies in HAH in pediatric acute patients are acute respiratory pathology and bacterial infections that require parenteral antibiotic therapy. The success of an acute patient home hospitalization program relies on the proper selection of patients and exhaustive training of caregivers, as well as good communication and coordination between the different services and levels of care involved.

"Self-care of the feet in people with type 2 diabetes. A qualitative study"

OBJECTIVE

To understand the experiences of adults over 65 years of age with type 2 diabetes mellitus, regarding foot self-care.

METHOD

Qualitative phenomenological study with a descriptive approach. It is carried out in the facilities of the Primary Care Center of Les Planes de Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, belonging to the Catalan Institute of Health. For the data collection, a semi-structured and individual interview was used, with a script of basic aspects to be explored, not closed and focused on the objectives of the research. The interviews were carried out between June 2019 and December 2020. A thematic analysis was carried out concomitantly with the collection of these.

RESULTS

A final sample of 13 persons (4 men and 9 women) participated in the study. Adherence to diabetic foot self-care recommendations is irregular. Participants explain risky behaviours despite knowing that they can cause injury to feet previously considered high risk. The evaluation of the podiatrist supposes an economic cost that some people cannot afford.

CONCLUSIONS

The nurse has to do an exhaustive follow-up of how persons with diabetes take care of her feet, insisting on preventive recommendations not only in the annual review but every time the person attends the diabetes follow-up consultation. Effective nurse-podiatrist communication is needed to improve prevention and follow-up of people at risk of diabetic foot disease.

We advance in health thanks to the PAPI children's health application

INTRODUCTION

The family structure and parenting are changing in society, sedentary lifestyle, the use of screens and social networks is increasing. Families and health professionals must learn to educate, adapting their health advice to the new social and digital environment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey was sent to the representatives of more than 5000 paediatricians to renew the Well Child Visits Programme of the Spanish Association of Primary Care Paediatrics (AEPap). Contributions from preventive programmes from Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Asturias were incorporated. The different interventions and advice were distributed in nine age groups.

RESULTS

Part of the recommendations are based on the work of the PrevInfad group. It uses the methodology of evidence-based medicine and performs the evaluation and synthesis of the evidence in the proposed preventive activities. The AEPap considers that the Well Child Programme should be carried out by the paediatric team: the paediatrician and the nurse, thus enhancing specific skills. The WHO considers it essential to empower individuals, families, and communities to optimize their health by making them caretakers of themselves and others, equipping them with tools that protect their well-being.

CONCLUSION

Hence, it was decided to capture the Well Child Programme in the format of a free APP for mobile devices, as an innovative and affordable method of disseminating child and adolescent health. Information is given on parenting advice for family members, for children and adolescents and describes health check-ups for health workers.

[Consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown in patients with chronic diseases in Andalusia]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on the self-care of people living with chronic diseases and on their self-perceived health, and to identify factors that may influence the management of their disease in emergency situations.

METHOD

A qualitative study conducted in 2020 (March and April) in Andalusia (Spain) during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, through virtual focus groups, using the Zoom telematics tool. Three virtual focus groups were conducted, including 34 patients from Andalusia with different chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer and fibromyalgia.

RESULTS

People with chronic diseases reported effects of the lockdown in relation to their emotional experience, their coping resources, the information they received, the difficulties to manage self-care, and the contact or access to health services. They also suggested some lessons learned for the future. The need for more and better information, patient training, involving patient associations, and improving telematics access to health services are the main areas for improvement to minimize the impact of future quarantines on the self-care and the health of people with chronic diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

Besides the risk of contracting COVID-19, the difficulties encountered by people with chronic diseases during the lockdown include interferences in the self-care and the health care received. Health crisis situations demand more information, training for patients and improvements in the health services accessibility for patients with chronic conditions.

COVID-19 challenge with regard to medical schools social responsibility: new professional and human perspectives

Medical schools play a central role in the compilation and development of professional knowledge, which is why they have privileges and resources that are justified only to the extent that they use them to serve the community, particularly those who are most in need. Medical schools social accountability focuses on the training, healthcare provision and research services they offer. The principles of medical education and the structure proposed by the Flexner Report are in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and redefinition of the social contract is required. This document offers a proposal for medical schools social accountability that includes anticipation of the needs of the community, patient-centered inter-professional care, training of people in the area of health and collaboration between institutions. It highlights the need for a conscious institution that finds new training spaces other than hospitals, where each patient is cared for in a personalized way, with inter-professional training models that consider the student as a person who takes care of him/herself in open collaboration with organizations. Leaders must act now because it is their social accountability and because it is the right thing to do.

Diabetic foot self-care and concordance of 3diabetic foot risk stratification systems in a basic health area of Gran Canaria

OBJECTIVE

To assess the level of self-care in the population with diabetes and determine the risk of diabetic foot lesions through the use of 3stratification systems as well as to establish the degree of concordance between these systems.

METHOD

Observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out in the Basic Health Area of Santa Brígida (Gran Canaria-Canary Islands-Spain) in people diagnosed with diabetes (DM Type 1/DM Type 2) (n=182). Interview, physical examination, review of clinical history and completion of the Diabetic Foot Self-Care questionnaire of the University of Malaga were carried out. The risk stratification was then calculated using 3systems (System of the National Institute for Health Care Excellence, Classification of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot and High-Risk Diabetic Foot-60-Second Tool©-2012). The Kappa index was calculated to study the concordance between systems, the relative risk of negative screening of one method against another was estimated and the exact Fisher test to establish whether there were differences.

RESULTS

30.2% of diabetics had a low level of self-care, 45.1% a medium level and 24.7% a high level. The risk levels calculated were: National Institute for Health Care Excellence Classification (Negative Risk 71.4%-Positive Risk 28.6%), International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot Classification (Negative Risk 67.0%-Positive Risk 33.0%) and High-Risk Diabetic Foot-60-Second Tool© (Negative Risk 62.6%-Positive Risk 37.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

All 3systems have good concordance with each other. The High-Risk Diabetic Foot-60-Second Tool© only distinguishes 2levels of risk but detects a higher percentage of people at risk. The Diabetic Foot Self-Care questionnaire of the University of Malaga may be useful in the context of Primary Care to assess the level of self-care of people with diabetes.

Construction and validation of content of a video on self-care with arteriovenous fistula

OBJECTIVE

To validate the content of the script of an educational video to promote self-care with arteriovenous fistula in chronic renal patients with nurses and social communicators.

METHOD

Methodological study that constructed and validated an educational video. Firstly, the demands of self-care were identified through a literature review on self-care with arteriovenous fistula. Then the construction of the video followed the steps of pre-production, production and post-production. The script's content validation occurred in the pre-production phase and counted on 22 nursing judges and media professionals. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research, under opinion 61705516.0.0000.5208.

RESULTS

The following items received a negative evaluation from the judges: "The scenes described reflect stereotypes or discrimination" (p = 0.008) and "The pace of the scenes is tiring" (p = 0.001/p = 0.034), "The characters/images are appealing to the audience (p = 0.006), "The illustrations reflect important aspects of subject under study" (p = 0.006), "The illustrations promote the understanding of the video message" (p = 0.001) and "The general structure is creative" (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The educational video was considered valid by the nursing judges and media professionals to promote self-care with arteriovenous fistula among renal patients.

[Adapting and validating a questionnaire to measure the self-care practices in healthy child population residing in Spain]

Objetivo

Adaptar y validar el Child and Adolescent Self-Care Performance Questionnaire (CASPQ) al contexto de la población infantil sana de 8 a 12 años residente en España y evaluar sus propiedades métricas.

Diseño

Estudio de validación fundamentado en la Teoría Clásica de los Tests.

Emplazamiento

Cuatro centros educativos participantes en el programa «Salut i Escola» de un centro de atención primaria de Barcelona (España).

Participantes

Un total de 498 alumnos y alumnas de educación primaria participaron en el estudio durante los primeros seis meses de 2016.

Mediciones principales

Se realizó la adaptación cultural del cuestionario. Se evaluó el proceso de respuesta, la estructura factorial y se analizaron las relaciones de las puntuaciones del CASPQ con las del cuestionario KIDSCREEN-27. Asimismo, se evaluaron la consistencia interna y la reproducibilidad de las puntuaciones.

Resultados

Se obtuvieron 489 cuestionarios. El análisis factorial confirmatorio de su estructura teórica mostró un ajuste suficiente. Se observó una asociación positiva entre las puntuaciones del cuestionario y las del KIDSCREEN-27. La consistencia interna global fue satisfactoria; no obstante, la de cada factor fue marginal o moderada. La reproducibilidad de las puntuaciones fue óptima.

Conclusiones

El CASPQ adaptado a la población infantil sana de 8 a 12 años muestra unas propiedades métricas adecuadas y similares a las del cuestionario original. Por ello, es un instrumento útil para evaluar las prácticas de autocuidado y planificar intervenciones dirigidas a su promoción.

Investigating self-care in a sample of patients with decompensated heart failure: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

There is scarce evidence relating to self-care of heart failure (HF) in Spain. In particular, there is a need to establish patients' level of understanding of HF, as well as their ability to recognise signs and symptoms of decompensation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional study to determine the level of self-care in a population of Spanish patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of decompensated HF. A convenience sample of 108 patients (50 women and 58 men) aged 83±8 were recruited to participate in this study.

RESULTS

The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index version 6.2 was used to quantify self-care in our sample. Mean and standard deviation from the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index self-care maintenance subscale were: a) "exercise for 30 minutes", 1±1; b) "forget to take one of your medicines", 2±2; c) "ask for low-salt items when eating out or visiting others", 2±1. A percentage of 67.6 had experienced shortness of breath or ankle swelling in the past month. However, the vast majority of our patients were unlikely to independently implement a remedy: a) reduce salt, 2±1; b) reduce fluid intake, 1±1; c) take an extra diuretic, 1±1. Over 50% of our sample felt confident or very confident at following professional advice (3±1), keeping themselves free of symptoms (3±1), recognizing changes in their condition (3±1) and evaluating the significance of such changes (3±1).

CONCLUSIONS

HF patients have a significantly low level of self-care when compared with HF patients from other countries, especially when it comes to managing their condition. Self-care promotion should be a priority for all healthcare professionals involved in the care and management of HF patients.

[Efficacy of a multidisciplinary care management program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (ProMIC)]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of the ProMIC, multidisciplinary program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (HF) programme, in reducing the HF-related readmission rate.

DESING

Quasi-experimental research with control group.

SETTINGS

Twelve primary health care centres and 3 hospitals from the Basque Country.

PARTICIPANTS

Aged 40 years old or above patients admitted for HF with a New York Heart Association functional class II to IV.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients in the intervention group carried out the ProMIC programme, a structured clinical intervention based on clinical guidelines and on the chronic care model. Control group received usual care.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS

The rate of readmission for HF and health-related quality of life RESULTS: One hundred fifty five patients were included in ProMIC group and 129 in control group. 45 rehospitalisation due to heart failure happened in ProMIC versus 75 in control group (adjusted hazard ratio=0.59, CI 95%: 0.36-0.98; P=.049). There were significant differences in specific quality of life al 6 months. No significant differences were found in rehospitalisation due to all causes, due to cardiovascular causes, visits to emergency room, mortality, the combined variable of these events, the functional capacity or quality of life at 12 months of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

ProMIC reduces significantly heart failure rehospitalisation and improve quality of life al 6 months of follow up. No significant differences were found in the rests of variables.

Quality of work life and self-care in nursing staff with high emotional demand

OBJECTIVE

To explore the variables related to the quality of work life and the self-care of nursing professionals working with high emotional demand.

METHOD

Qualitative, according to the constructivist paradigm. It combines the phenomenological-hermeneutic/interpretative method with the use of semi-structured interviews. Information was analyzed with Maxqda 11. Interviews included professionals from the Valencian healthcare system, with typical profiles of nurses working in surgical units, emergencies, oncology, home care, and cooperation.

RESULTS

Organizational factors were reported as a barrier to self-care, affecting healthcare activity. Working with patients was highlighted as a protective factor, based on the satisfaction derived from helping in situations of serious illness and suffering. The quality of work life manifested was assessed as not being what they would desire and deficient. The factors that affected the professionals most were the type of working day and work schedules (shifts, nights, holidays, on call...). The physical, mental and social dimensions of self-care can attenuate the negative effects of this situation.

CONCLUSIONS

It is necessary to examine in depth the construct of self-care, to counteract emotionally stressful problems and situations, to propose intervention strategies, training plans and greater involvement of health institutions in the improvement of nurses' quality of work life.

Effectiveness of a respiratory rehabilitation programme in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary respiratory rehabilitation (RR) programme in patients with severe or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease pre the RR programme, at the end of the programme and one year after the RR, measuring changes in ability to exercise (walking test), effort tolerance(forced expiratory volume (FEV1)) and health-related quality of life.

METHOD

Quasi-experimental single group design. We included patients diagnosed with severe or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (stages III and IV of the GOLD classification) who entered the rehabilitation programme for the years 2011 and 2012. Demographic data, questionnaires on general health-related quality of life (SF-36) and specific to respiratory patients (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire), FEV1% and exercise capacity test (running test 6minutes) were collected. Data were collected before the RR programme, at the end of the RR programme and a year after completing the program.

RESULTS

No significant differences in FEV1% values were observed. Regarding exercise capacity, an increase in distance walked in the walking test was noted, which changed significantly after training, 377±59.7 to 415±79 m after one year (P<.01). A statistically significant improvement in mean scores of HRQoL was observed, except for the emotional role dimension of the SF-36 questionnaire.

CONCLUSION

A pulmonary rehabilitation programme for 8 weeks improved the exercise capacity, dyspnoea and quality of life of patients with severe and very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Health Literacy and Health Outcomes in Very Old Patients With Heart Failure

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Health literacy (HL) has been associated with lower mortality in heart failure (HF). However, the results of previous studies may not be generalizable because the research was conducted in relatively young and highly-educated patients in United States settings. This study assessed the association of HL with disease knowledge, self-care, and all-cause mortality among very old patients, with a very low educational level.

METHODS

This prospective study was performed in 556 patients (mean age, 85 years), with high comorbidity, admitted for HF to the geriatric acute-care unit of 6 hospitals in Spain. About 74% of patients had less than primary education and 71% had preserved systolic function. Health literacy was assessed with the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults questionnaire, knowledge of HF with the DeWalt questionnaire, and HF self-care with the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale.

RESULTS

Disease knowledge progressively increased with HL; compared with being in the lowest (worse) tertile of HL, the multivariable beta coefficient (95%CI) of the HF knowledge score was 0.60 (0.01-1.19) in the second tertile and 0.87 (0.24-1.50) in the highest tertile, P-trend = .008. However, no association was found between HL and HF self-care. During the 12 months of follow-up, there were 189 deaths. Compared with being in the lowest tertile of HL, the multivariable HR (95%CI) of mortality was 0.84 (0.56-1.27) in the second tertile and 0.99 (0.65-1.51) in the highest tertile, P-trend = .969.

CONCLUSIONS

No association was found between HL and 12-month mortality. This could be partly due to the lack of a link between HL and self-care.

[Heart failure in primary care: Attitudes, knowledge and self-care]

Objetivo

Conocer actitudes, conocimientos y prácticas en autocuidado en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) atendidos en atención primaria, e identificar factores asociados a mayor autocuidado.

Diseño

Estudio transversal multicéntrico.

Emplazamiento

Atención primaria.

Participantes

Individuos mayores de 18 años con diagnóstico activo de IC a 1 de diciembre de 2011 en 10 centros de salud del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona.

Medidas principales

Se realizó entrevista y revisión de historia clínica para obtención de datos sociodemográficos, clínicos y tests de actitudes (Self-efficacy Managing Chronic Disease Scale), conocimientos (Patient Knowledge Questionnaire), autocuidado (European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale), grado autonomía (Barthel) y cribado ansiedad-depresión (test Goldberg). Se analizaron las variables asociadas a autocuidado mediante modelo de regresión lineal múltiple de efectos mixtos jerarquizado por centros.

Resultados

n = 295 individuos (77,6%), edad media 75,6 años (DE: 11), 56,6% mujeres, 62% sin estudios primarios. Se obtuvo una media global de autocuidado de 28,65 (DE: 8,22) puntos. Un 25% de los pacientes presentaron puntuaciones inferiores a 21 puntos. En el modelo multivariante final (n = 282; R² condicional = 0,3382), un mayor autocuidado se relacionó con mejores conocimientos sobre la IC (coeficiente −1,37; intervalo de confianza 95%: −1,85 a −0,90) y el diagnóstico de cardiopatía isquémica (−2,41; −4,36: −0,46).

Conclusiones

El grado de prácticas en autocuidado es moderado. La asociación de mejor autocuidado y mayor nivel de conocimientos sobre la IC, potencialmente modificables, subraya la oportunidad de implementar estrategias para su mejora adaptadas a las características diferenciales de los pacientes con IC atendidos de atención primaria.

Effectiveness of an intervention to improve diabetes self-management on clinical outcomes in patients with low educational level

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether an intervention based on patient-practitioner communication is more effective than usual care in improving diabetes self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes with low educational level.

METHODS

12-month, pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. Nine physicians and 184 patients registered at two practices in a deprived area of Granada (Andalusia, Spain) participated in the study. Adult patients with type 2 diabetes, low educational level and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) > 7% (53.01 mmol/mol) were eligible. The physicians in the intervention group received training on communication skills and the use of a tool for monitoring glycaemic control and providing feedback to patients. The control group continued standard care. The primary outcome was difference in HbA1c after 12 months. Dyslipidaemia, blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference were also assessed as secondary outcomes. Two-level (patient and provider) regression analyses controlling for sex, social support and comorbidity were conducted.

RESULTS

The HbA1c levels at 12 months decreased in both groups. Multilevel analysis showed a greater improvement in the intervention group (between-group HbA1c difference= 0.16; p=0.049). No statistically significant differences between groups were observed for dyslipidaemia, blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pragmatic study, a simple and inexpensive intervention delivered in primary care showed a modest benefit in glycaemic control compared with usual care, although no effect was observed in the secondary outcomes. Further research is needed to design and assess interventions to promote diabetes self-management in socially vulnerable patients.

[Spanish cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities measure (SDSCA) among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus]

Objetivo

Llevar a cabo la adaptación cultural y la validación psicométrica del Summary of Diabetes Self-Care measure (SDSCA) en población española con diabetes mellitus tipo 2.

Diseño

Estudio de validación clinimétrica.

Emplazamiento

Centros de atención primaria del Distrito Sanitario Málaga-Valle del Guadalhorce.

Participantes

331 personas con diabetes mellitus tipo 2.

Mediciones principales

La versión validada en población mexicana del SDSCA fue sometida a equivalencia semántica y de contenido mediante un Delphi de expertos, su legibilidad fue determinada mediante la escala INFLESZ. Posteriormente se llevó a cabo la validación psicométrica, evaluándose validez de constructo mediante análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio (en adelante AFE y AFC), consistencia interna, fiabilidad test-retest y validez discriminante.

Resultados

Dos rondas fueron necesarias para alcanzar consenso entre los miembros del panel, posteriormente INFLESZ aportó una buena legibilidad. El modelo trifactorial (dieta, ejercicio físico y autoanálisis) con 7 ítems explicaba un 79,16% de la varianza. El análisis confirmatorio mostró un buen ajuste del modelo del SDSCA-Sp. La consistencia interna fue moderada-baja (α-Cronbach = 0,62) y la fiabilidad test-retest fue evaluada en 198 pacientes (t = 0,462-0,796, p < 0,001) con una correlación global de 0,764 (p < 0,0001).

Conclusiones

El SDSCA-Sp en una versión válida en la práctica clínica y en investigación para evaluar autocuidados en diabetes mellitus tipo 2 con propiedades clinimétricas similares a las obtenidas en estudios previos.

[Treatment of patients with osteoarthritis]

The therapeutic management of patients with osteoarthritis aims to decrease pain and inflammation, improve physical function, and to apply safe and effective treatments. A patient-centered approach implies the active participation of the patient in the design of the treatment plan and in timely and informed decision-making at all stages of the disease. The nucleus of treatment is patient education, physical activity and therapeutic exercise, together with weight control in overweight or obese patients. Self-care by the individual and by the family is fundamental in day-to-day patient management. The use of physical therapies, technical aids (walking sticks, etc.) and simple analgesics, opium alkaloids, and antiinflammatory drugs have demonstrated effectiveness in controlling pain, improving physical function and quality of life and their use is clearly indicated in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Conservative surgery and joint replacement is indicated when treatment goals are not achieved in specific patients.

[Development and validation of a questionnaire on knowledge and personal hygiene habits in childhood (HICORIN®)]

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a questionnaire on the integral assessment of the habits and knowledge in personal hygiene in children between 7 to 12 years old in the educational, social and health environment.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study for the validation of a questionnaire.

LOCATION

One primary and secondary school and one children's home in the Region of Murcia, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 86 children were included (80 from a primary and secondary school; 6 from a children's home), as well as 7 experts.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS

Content validation by experts; qualitative assessment; identify difficulties related to some questions, item response analysis, and test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

After the literature search, 20 tools that included items related to child body hygiene were obtained. The researchers selected 34 items and drafted 48 additional ones. After content validity by the experts, the questionnaire (HICORIN®) was reduced to 63 items, and consisted of 7 dimensions of child personal hygiene (skin, hair, hands, oral, feet, ears, and intimate hygiene). After with the children some terms were adapted to improve their understanding. Only two items had non-response rates that exceeded 10%. The test-retest showed that 84.1% of the items had between very good and moderate reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

HICORIN® is a reliable and valid instrument that integrally assesses the habits and knowledge in personal hygiene in children between 7-12 years old. It is applicable in educative and social and health environments and in children from different socioeconomic levels.

[Care as a cross-cutting element in the health care of complex chronic patients]

The care of people who live with chronic diseases is currently a priority on the roadmaps of all health care services. Within these strategies, there needs to be a specific approach required for a population group that is defined by having multiple diseases and the associated comorbidity. This group is especially vulnerable, fragile, and require very complex care, which uses up a high quantity of social health resources. The estimated prevalence in Spain is 1.4% in the general population, and approximately 5% in people over 64 years. The social and healthcare of this population requires a person-centered approach, as a paradigm of caring for the patients and not of the diseases. The models must leap from the segmented approach to diseases to a holistic and integrated vision, taking into account the social and psycho-affective situation, the experience of the patient, the family context, and the approach of human experience/response that these processes produce. The health professionals need support tools that can guide them and help in making clinical decisions in this population group. The clinical practice guidelines for the approach of patients with co-morbidity and multiple diseases have numerous limitations. Expert recommendations in this sense, lead us to a multidisciplinary approach, with self-care and self-health management as a cross-cutting element of healthcare.

Effect of different types of self-management education in patients with diabetes

Education plays an important role in diabetes mellitus (DM) treatment, as it enables patients to manage their disease. There is a wide range of tested educational interventions, and, to date, no universal model that can be standardized and recognized as effective for all individuals with the disease has been defined. This article aims to review the effect of different types of educational interventions for self-management of glycemic control in patients with DM type 2, in addition to define general recommendations for this treatment strategy.

[Panorama of self-management initiatives in Spain]

OBJECTIVE

To describe the current situation of self-management initiatives in Spain.

METHODS

We performed a descriptive study of self-management support initiatives in Spain from the perspective of the patient as expert. Three databases were searched in October 2010 (Pubmed, Scientific Electronic Library Online [SCIELO] and Indice Médico Español [IME]), using the following Keywords «paciente experto» (expert patient), «paciente activo» (active patient) and «apoyo al autocuidado» (self-management support). Web sites were also consulted, using the same key words. Of the initiatives found, we selected those with the most advanced development and continuity, using the perspective of the expert patient (in which patients have an active role) and with a systematic format and methodology. A questionnaire was designed and was sent to the heads of the selected initiatives in the last quarter of 2010. To update the information, the questionnaire was sent again between August and September, 2012. Subsequently, the web sites were visited to review their contents and presence in social networks.

RESULTS

Seven initiatives were identified in the autonomous regions of Murcia, Andalusia, Galicia, Castile-La Mancha, Basque Country, and Catalonia. These initiatives used distinct methodologies, formats and assessment systems.

CONCLUSIONS

In Spain, there is increasing interest in the development of self-management support programs, although their scope is limited and their impact is mostly unknown, except for patient satisfaction. There is a need for studies on results assessment to identify the impact of these initiatives in our setting, as well as for studies on their implementation to encourage the introduction of patient activation initiatives in routine clinical practice.