Self-management across chronic diseases: Targeting education and support needs

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Chronic Disease Management
• Patient Self-Management

Background:

• Effective self-management support is vital for individuals with chronic diseases.
• Understanding patient heterogeneity in self-management capabilities is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct groups of Canadian adults with chronic diseases based on self-management task frequency and self-efficacy.
• To compare the characteristics and support preferences of these identified groups.

Main Methods:

• Cluster analysis of online survey data (n=247) to identify patient groups.
• Multivariable regression to analyze patient characteristics and support preferences in relation to identified groups.

Main Results:

• Three groups emerged: Vulnerable Self-Managers (low self-efficacy, high task frequency), Confident Self-Managers (high self-efficacy, low task frequency), and Moderate Needs Self-Managers.
• Vulnerable Self-Managers exhibited higher rates of employment disability, lower education, more comorbidities, and different support preferences compared to Confident Self-Managers.

Conclusions:

• Distinct patient profiles in self-management exist within the chronic disease population.
• Targeting interventions based on identified group characteristics, particularly for vulnerable self-managers, is necessary for improved support.