Monday 8 September 2014

Self-Management: It isn't just for patients

Last week I had the honour of delivering a lecture at the College of Medicine Summer School, 'Self Care & Resilience: How can we care?'. This blog post is a summary of my lecture.... 



The aim of my lecture was to share some of the skills that students can employ as healthcare professionals to help support their patients who are living with long term health conditions. But I also feel that these are a universally applicable set of skills that can help them build resilience and manage the challenges of their roles as HCP within the NHS. After all, we are all in the same boat facing challenges, its just that the exact nature of those challenges is different whether you are a patient, or professionals. The same skills and approaches can still be helpful! 

For me, self-management is about finding a sustainable way of living with my long term health conditions. The working conditions of the NHS aren't going to change either, and it is important that we can support students to manage that sustainably in the long term - since their careers should be spanning decades. 

There are four key tools for this approach... 

1. Tell me about the things that you are already doing to look after your health?  
Acknowledging what someone is already doing is crucial to cement the foundations to then go on and discuss further changes. Never underestimate the effort it takes to do the little things each day. For students, this is a great way to learn about the different ways that people manage their health that don't normally get mentioned in a text book.                                                                 
For you as a professional facing a challenge, ask yourself "What am I doing already to manage this situation?" Give yourself time to acknowledge what you are already doing before always thinking about the endless list of things that you should be doing to cope better!


2. Goal setting 
It can often be hard to actually get down to doing the things that you mean to do, whether that a patient doing physio exercises or a healthcare professional doing their e-portfolios or personal tasks like going to a new exercise class. This is where goal setting comes in - it can help people with the motivation and structure to get started on these things.  The basics of goal setting are that it is something that is important to you (this ensures that we are going to be motivated to work on it), you are specific about what you want to do (what, when, how much, how?), and you feel confident about doing it (i.e. it is achievable and realistic). There are more detailed resources on goal setting here and here
Goals don't have to health related, so are just as applicable for you as a framework to help you make changes, personally or professionally.  


3. Goal Follow-up 
"Tell me how you've got on with your goal...?" 
Following up on goals is important. If the goal has been achieved, this is an opportunity for praise. Patients are not attention seeking children, but a little bit of praise (said in the right tone!) can go a long way. While what a patient achieves as their goal maybe an everyday thing for you, don't underestimate the effort it has taken and what a big deal it might be to them. 
If the goal hasn't been achieved, this is an opportunity to check the importance to them, and to problem solve.  
This process can be helpful for you as professionals, when looking at goals you have set yourselves, either personally or professionally. 

4. Agenda Setting 
This tool can set the tone for the appointment to be the most helpful use of time for both the patient and the healthcare professional. Of all the self-management skills this has been the one I've used most widely in 'normal life', in meetings etc.

More details of all of these tools are on the Health Foundation Practitioner Development Programme

There are two reasons why I feel this approach is important. Firstly, I need my healthcare professionals. I don't want them to burn out! Secondly, I hope that seeing the power of these approaches in their own personal lives will help them use them and champion them when working professionally with people with long term conditions, to effectively support them with their self-management. 

I know that I am personally guilty of falling into the "us and them" trap, creating an article divide between patients and professionals. Whilst there are clearly differences between these two 'roles', there are probably more similarities. We are all facing challenges that require us to find ways to manage with them sustainably since they aren't going to disappear overnight (either health conditions or the conditions of the NHS). The same toolbox can be used! 

5 comments:

  1. ����������������

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really enjoyed your workshop at the Summer School. What I learnt has helped me enormously, thank you.

    ReplyDelete


  3. The history of finger biometry was initiated in the late nineteenth century by scientist Francis Galton. Since then, it has grown tremendously thanks to a large team of geneticists and biologists. In 1880, Henry Faulds made the argument for the amount of fingerprint RC (Ridge Count) to assess the degree of fingerprint dependence on the genes.

    The scientists claim that fingerprints are formed under the influence of the genetic system of the fetus inherited and the impact of the environment through the vascular system and the nervous system located between the dermis and the expression the cover. Some of these effects are oxygen supply, nerve formation, the distribution of sweat glands, the development of epithelial cells. Interestingly, although there is a common genetic system Hereditary but fingerprints on the ten fingers of each individual individual. In 1868 the scholar Roberts pointed out that each finger had a different micro-growth environment; In addition, the thumb and index finger suffers from some additional environmental effects. So fingerprints on the top ten fingers of a different individual. The twin brothers (sisters) with fingerprint eggs are quite similar but still can distinguish fingerprints of each person. This is because although they have the same genetic system and share the same developmental environment in the womb, but because of their different position in the womb, their micro environment is different and therefore has different fingerprints. together.

    See more at : http://umit.vn

    sinh trắc vân tay hà nội
    Khám phá bản thân
    Trung tâm sinh trắc vân tay
    Khám phá bản thân
    Trung tâm sinh trắc vân tay
    Chọn công việc phù hợp

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello! I'm very excited to inform everyone that I'm completely cured from my HSV 1&2 recently. I have used Oregano oil, Coconut oil, Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, Famciclovir, and some other products and it's really help during my outbreaks but I totally got cured! from my HSV with a strong and active herbal medicine ordered from a powerful herbalist and it completely fought the virus from my nervous system and I was tested negative after 12 days of using the herbal medicine. I'm here to let y'all know that herpes virus has a complete cure, I got rid of mine with the help of Dr Oyagu and his herbal exploit. Contact him via email: oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com call or whatsApp him on +2348101755322.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I Can't still believe that i got cured from Genital Herpes through herbal treatment from Dr Oyagu who I met through the internet, I actually couldn't believe it at first because it sounded impossible to me knowing how far I have gone just to get rid of it. Dr Oyagu send me his medicine which I took as instructed and here I am living a happy life once again, a big thanks to Dr Oyagu, I am sure there are many herbal doctors out there but Dr Oyagu did it for me, contact him oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com , also call or whatsApp him on +2348101755322

    ReplyDelete