Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110201

Richard Crespo, PhD and Molly Maguire Shrewsberry, MPH, MS, CHES. School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1600 Medical Center Drive, Suite 1400, Huntington, WV 25701, 304-691-1193, crespo@marshall.edu

Background: Integrating self-management into a health center's system of care involves defining roles for the health care team and defining procedures so that patients are engaged throughout their time in the clinic. This however, stretches already limited resources. In response to this challenge the Marshall University team designed and tested a behavior change model and a set self-management materials. The team used the Transtheoretical Model for behavior change in designing this intervention.

Objectives: The objective of this presentation is to describe the factors that facilitated organizational change in the process of integrating disease self-management into patient care.

Methods: Three rural health centers in West Virginia agreed to serve as pilot sites. The Marshall team conducted a series of focus groups with key staff every other month, over eight months, to document the organizational barriers and changes.

Results: The principle findings are as follows. It takes a champion from within the organization for change to occur; system change needs to be linked with staff and provider behavior changes; and a team approach is needed because acute care tends to overwhelm the medical encounter.

Conclusion: Integration of patient self-management can be successfully accomplished. The process of integration needs to be designed to meet the individual health centers' system and personnel needs, including addressing staff and provider behavior change.

Learning Objective: Participants will articulate factors that facilitate the integration of patient self-management into patient care in a primary care setting.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will articulate factors that facilitate the integration of patient self-management into patient care in a primary care setting

Keywords: Organizational Change, Self-Management

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation