Developing self-management education in coronary artery disease

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Education
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) management requires effective patient education.
• Self-management support is crucial for improving health outcomes in CAD patients.
• Existing educational tools may not fully address patient-identified needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel self-management educational workbook for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.
• To assess the workbook's impact on health information acquisition, self-efficacy, and health behaviors.
• To determine the workbook's effectiveness in a diverse CAD population.

Main Methods:

• A three-step approach: qualitative interviews (n=61) using grounded theory, workbook development based on interview themes, and a 12-month longitudinal evaluation with 225 CAD patients.
• Grounded theory interviews identified patient needs and perceptions regarding CAD self-management.
• A longitudinal study assessed workbook usage, user experience, and changes in physical activity at 12 months.

Main Results:

• The workbook successfully provided practical health information, enhanced behavior-specific self-efficacy, and reinforced the link between healthy behaviors and risk reduction.
• Participants who read the workbook demonstrated greater increases in physical activity at 12 months compared to non-readers (p=0.093).
• Among Black and Hispanic participants, workbook readers showed a significant increase in physical activity (592 vs. -645 kilocalories per week, p=0.035).

Conclusions:

• A self-management educational workbook developed through qualitative methods can effectively deliver relevant, disease-specific information to CAD patients.
• This approach ensures educational materials align with patient needs, potentially improving engagement and health behaviors.
• The workbook shows promise as a tool to enhance self-management and promote physical activity in diverse CAD populations.