Search

Refugees and displaced people face uniquely challenging barriers to abortion access, including the collapse of health systems, statelessness, and a lack of prioritization of sexual and reproductive health services by humanitarian agencies. This article summarizes the evidence around abortion access in humanitarian contexts, and highlights the opportunities for interventions that could increase knowledge and support around self-managed abortion. We explore how lessons learned from other contexts can be applied to the development of effective interventions to reduce abortion-related morbidity and mortality, and may improve access to information about safe methods of abortion, including self-management, in humanitarian settings. We conclude by laying out a forward-thinking research agenda that addresses gaps in our knowledge around abortion access and experiences in humanitarian contexts.

WHO's normative guidance on self-care interventions for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) promotes comprehensive, integrated and people-centred approaches to health service delivery. Implementation of self-care interventions within the context of human rights, gender equality, and a life course approach, offers an underused opportunity to improve universal health coverage (UHC) for all. Results from an online global values and preferences survey provided lay persons' and healthcare providers' perspectives on access, acceptability, and implementation considerations. This analysis examines 326 qualitative responses to open-ended questions from healthcare providers (n = 242) and lay persons (n = 70) from 77 countries. Participants were mostly women (66.9%) and were from the Africa (34.5%), America (32.5%), South-East Asia (5.6%), European (19.8%), Eastern Mediterranean (4.8%), and Western Pacific regions (2.8%). Participants perceived multiple benefits of self-care interventions for SRHR, including: reduced exposure to stigma, discrimination and access barriers, increased confidentiality, empowerment, self-confidence, and informed decision-making. Concerns include insufficient knowledge, affordability, and possible side-effects. Implementation considerations highlighted the innovative approaches to linkages with health services. Introduction of self-care interventions is a paradigm shift in health care delivery bridging people and communities through primary health care to reach UHC. Self-care interventions can be leveraged by countries as gateways for reaching more people with quality, accessible and equitable services that is critical for achieving UHC. The survey results underscored the urgent need to reduce stigma and discrimination, increase access to and improve knowledge of self-care interventions for SRHR for laypersons and healthcare providers to advance SRHR.

Mobile application (app) platforms have the potential to advance sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Yet there is a dearth of knowledge regarding global perspectives from healthcare providers on how SRH mobile apps are being leveraged in their healthcare practice. In 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a consolidated guideline on self-care interventions for SRH. To inform this guideline, we conducted a global values and preferences survey. This study aimed to (a) understand the awareness, access, and uptake of SRH mobile apps; (b) examine how many healthcare provider (HCP) participants provided linkages, referrals and information to clients regarding SRH mobile apps; and (c) among HCP, assess how many felt confident and informed regarding SRH mobile apps. We hosted a cross-sectional web-based survey on the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research website and shared the survey with SRHR listservs. There were 825 survey participants, 360 whom identified as healthcare providers (HCP). Approximately one-third of HCP participants had provided a referral/information to their clients about sexual or reproductive health apps. While 40.8% of HCP felt confident and informed about sexual health apps, half (47.4%) reported needing more information, and 15.6% expressed interest in receiving training to use in practice. While 42.6% of HCPs felt confident and informed about reproductive health apps, 45.7% needed more information, and 15.1% were interested in further training. There was also an open-ended question for HCP to share their thoughts about self-care SRH interventions. Specifically regarding SRH apps, HCP responses revealed the importance of considering: (a) security and confidentiality; (b) potential benefits of SRH apps for underserved groups (i.e. youth, rural communities); (c) community engagement; (d) health benefits; and (e) and online training for HCP on SRH mobile apps. Findings signal interest and opportunities for training and engaging HCP in using mobile apps to advance SRH.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Evidence is growing for the positive effects of technology-delivered diabetes self-care interventions on behavioral and clinical outcomes. However, our understanding of how to effectively implement these interventions into routine clinical practice is limited. This article provides an overview of the methods and results of studies examining the implementation of technology-delivered diabetes self-care interventions into clinical care. We focus specifically on patient-facing behavioral interventions delivered with technology (e.g., text messaging, apps, websites). RECENT FINDINGS: Eleven articles were included in the review. Most studies (n=9) examined barriers and facilitators to implementation, while about half (n=5) integrated the intervention into clinical care and evaluated implementation and/or effectiveness. Only six studies applied a theory or framework. The most common determinants of implementation were time constraints for clinic staff, familiarity with technology, knowledge of the intervention, and perceived value. We found substantial variation in implementation outcomes, including which were reported, how they were assessed, and the results. In the four studies that evaluated effectiveness, hemoglobin A1c improved. SUMMARY: Successful implementation of technology-delivered interventions has the potential to transform healthcare delivery and improve diabetes health on a population level. Promising strategies to address common determinants of implementation include appointing a clinic champion, developing staff training and educational materials, and adapting intervention processes to the clinic context. Future research should evaluate these implementation strategies to understand when and how they impact outcomes. Frameworks such as Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM), can help ensure outcomes are systematically reported and allow for comparison across studies.

Introduction: Self-care requires behavior change in patients and healthcare providers play a pivotal role in supporting those changes. Examination of the behavior change techniques used by providers in self-care interventions can provide insights into how self-care behavior is enhanced in patients with a chronic condition. Objective: To quantify the behavior change techniques used to enhance healthy behavior in self-care interventions for patients with a chronic condition. Methods: Studies from a scoping review (n=233) were reviewed to identify behavior change techniques used in studies testing self-care interventions in adults with nine chronic conditions, most of which were CVDs. All studies were published between January 2008 and January 2019. Nine techniques from the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy V1 (with 93 consensually agreed, distinct techniques) were selected for review because they are commonly used by a broad range of disciplines and have previously been shown to influence behavior change. Results: The 233 studies represent 59,950 patients, mean age 59.5 (±8.3) years, 44% female. Study sample sizes ranged from 24 to 2,445 patients. Most studies focused on DM2 (n=85; 36%), HTN (n=32; 14%) or HF (n=27; 12%). Most interventions targeted only patients (n=207; 89%). Goal setting (n=113; 48%) and problem solving (n=92; 40%) were the behavior change techniques used predominantly. Action planning, feedback and review of behavioral goals were used in 46-60 (20%-26%) studies and most commonly in patients with DM2 or CAD and rarely in patients with HTN or HF. Information about health consequences was used in 46 (20%) studies. Social support (n=17; 7%) and reminders (n=13; 6%) were rarely used. Conclusions: Few behavior change techniques were specified in the published self-care intervention trials. In future research, behavior change techniques and the associated mechanisms of actions need to be specified to support self-care intervention research.

Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of a Family First Aid approach whereby women and their families are provided misoprostol in advance to manage postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in home births. Methods A 12-month prospective, pre-post intervention study was conducted from February 2017 to February 2018. Women in their second and third trimesters were enrolled at home visits. Participants and their families received educational materials and were counseled on how to diagnose excessive bleeding and the importance of seeking care at a facility if PPH occurs. In the intervention phase, participants were also given misoprostol and counselled on how to administer the four 200 mcg tablets for first aid in case of PPH. Participants were followed-up postpartum to collect data on use of misoprostol for Family First Aid at home deliveries (primary outcome) and record maternal and perinatal outcomes. Results Of the 4008 participants enrolled, 97% were successfully followed-up postpartum. Half of the participants in each phase delivered at home. Among home deliveries, the odds of reporting PPH almost doubled among in the intervention phase (OR 1.98; CI 1.43, 2.76). Among those reporting PPH, women in the intervention phase were significantly more likely to have received PPH treatment (OR 10.49; CI 3.37, 32.71) and 90% administered the dose correctly. No maternal deaths, invasive procedures or surgery were reported in either phase after home deliveries. Conclusions The Family First Aid approach is a safe and feasible model of care that provides timely PPH treatment to women delivering at home in rural communities.

After a coronary artery event it is vital that patients perform self-care Self-care can be defined broadly as a process of maintaining health through treatment adherence and health-promoting practices (self-care maintenance), behavior and condition monitoring (self-care monitoring), and managing signs and symptoms when they occur (self-care management). For patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) essential self-care activities include adherence to medication, risk-factor management, symptom monitoring and preventive behavior. To advance the field of self-care in CAD patients, it is important to understand which self-care elements are currently addressed in interventions studies. The purpose of this study was to describe which behaviors are emphasized in self-care interventions for patients with CAD. Methods We conducted a systematic review of self-care interventions in chronic diseases. Four databases were search for randomized controlled trials with allocation to an intervention or to usual care or another intervention in adults with nine major symptomatic chronic conditions, one of which was coronary artery disease. Between 2008 and 2019 there were 9309 potential articles addressing self-care in chronic disease. After duplicates were removed and titles and abstracts were reviewed, 166 full-text articles on CAD studies evaluating a self-care intervention were assessed for eligibility and 15 studies remained after further assessment. Results Almost all studies (80%) in CAD patients included all three components of self-care (self-care maintenance, monitoring and management) in their interventions. Self-care maintenance behaviors addressed in these studies were mainly related to physical activity (73%) diet (60%) and medication management (33%) Another 40% included a psychosocial component, but only 4 studies (26%) were specially targeted at smoking behavior. With regard to self-care monitoring, most (60%) included monitoring of their physical activity level and 26% monitoring of symptoms. Self-care management behaviours were addressed rarely, but when addressed, focused on adapting activity level (60%), adapting diet (27%), medication changes (20%) and stress reduction (20%). Goal setting (60%), problem solving (40%) and feedback (33%) were the behavioural change techniques that were used most often to promote self-care. Only 1 study mentioned the use of social support. One study used reminders. Conclusions Most interventions that are tested to improve outcomes in patients with CAD address self-care maintenance, monitoring, management. The behavioural change techniques used are limited. There is a large variation in which behaviours are emphasized in research studies and the focus is primarily on changing traditional lifestyle factors, but not all life-style factors are addressed adequately in the interventions. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Australian Catholic University

La dépression est un problème répandu, sérieux, et souvent chronique chez les aînés, qui sont souvent atteints de maladies physiques chroniques, et affecte de façon négative leurs traitements et leurs soins. Malheureusement, le taux de détection et de suivi adéquat de la dépression est faible dans cette population. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, notre équipe a mené une série d’études pour mieux comprendre et améliorer la gestion de la dépression chez les aînés. Nous présentons une revue narrative et synthèse de 25 articles qui incluent : 4 revues systématiques, 10 études observationnelles, 9 essais d’interventions, et 2 conférences de consensus. Nous proposons en conclusion nos recommandations pour 1) la détection de la dépression dans les soins de santé primaires ; 2) les soins collaboratifs de la dépression ; 3) des interventions d’autogestion de la dépression ; 4) le rôle des aidants naturels dans les interventions d’autogestion de la dépression., Objectives A research group based at St. Mary’s Research Centre, St. Mary’s Hospital, Montreal, has conducted a research program over the past two decades that aims to inform improvements in the management of depression in primary care and general medical settings, among older adults. This paper reviews the findings from this research program, discusses the findings in the context of other research, and highlights the implications for practice and health policy.Methods Narrative review and synthesis of 25 published articles, that included: 4 systematic reviews, 10 observational studies, 9 intervention trials, and 2 consensus conference reports.Results The results pertain to 4 research areas: detection of depression in primary care and general medical settings; collaborative care of depression; depression self-care interventions; and the role of family and friends in supporting depression self-care interventions.Conclusions We propose six recommendations for improving the management of depression in the target population. 1) Depression detection and treatment can be improved through collaborative care models that involve primary care physicians, mental health specialists and non-physician mental health workers who are trained to assist with the detection of depression, with the delivery of brief, low-intensity psychological interventions and with self-care support. More research and evaluation are necessary to determine the factors that enhance the effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and consumer-centeredness of these interventions. 2) Supported depression self-care (and other low-intensity interventions such as short problem-solving therapy) offered by telephone or via internet, either as part of collaborative or usual care are feasible treatment options but more research is necessary to determine their effectiveness in different clinical populations. Some populations (e.g., those aged 75 and over, with visual and/or mild cognitive impairment) are likely to need greater or face-to-face support. 3) As most family physicians are unlikely to have the necessary time or interest to support depression self-care interventions, other sustainable programmatic contexts are needed for delivery of these interventions. Options include: nurses or other mental health workers in multidisciplinary family medicine groups; regional mental health programs; and voluntary organizations dedicated to assisting in the management of chronic illnesses. Research is needed on the feasibility and effectiveness of using peer support workers or volunteers to provide coaching of depression self-care interventions. 4) Involvement of family or friends in depression self-care may improve outcomes (e.g., dyadic interventions) but further research is necessary. 5) Further research should explore the potential of depression self-care interventions to prevent major depression and in depression relapse prevention in this population.

Manjulaa Narasimhan and colleagues argue that there is a pressing need for a clearer conceptualisation of self care to support health policy

Mobile health (mHealth)—hand-held technologies to address health priorities—has significant potential to answer the growing need for patient chronic illness self-care interventions. Previous reviews examined mHealth effect on patient outcomes. None have a detailed examination and mapping of specific technology features to targeted health outcomes. Examine recent chronic illness mHealth self-care interventions; map the study descriptors, mHealth technology features, and study outcomes. (1) Information extracted from PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases for clinical outcomes studies published 2010–January 2020; and (2) realist synthesis techniques for within and across case analysis. From 652 records, 32 studies were examined. Median study duration was 19.5 weeks. Median sample size was 62 participants. About 47% of interventions used solely patient input versus digital input; 50% sent tailored messages versus generic messages; 22% augmented the intervention with human interaction. Studies with positive clinical outcomes had higher use of digital input. Software descriptions were lacking. Most studies built interventions: only two incorporated target audience participation in development. We recommend researchers provide sufficient system description detail. Future research includes: data input characteristics; impact of augmentation with human interaction on outcomes; and development decisions.

OBJECTIVE To determine the evidence with regards to self-care outcomes and interventions for children who have been treated for a brain tumour and identify when best to intervene. METHODS A scoping review of the literature with regards to self-care interventions, outcomes and mechanisms was undertaken. The information from these themes were populated onto a logic model alongside the clinical expertise of the team. The logic model was used to develop hypotheses to inform subsequent research; and identified areas for further patient and public involvement. RESULTS Of 27 papers found, 13 were deemed relevant. The literature suggested the diagnosis of a brain tumour can have a long-term negative impact on self-care outcomes whilst evidence with regards to interventions to promote self-care is scarce. The child’s physical and cognitive functions were identified as hypothesised factors influencing self-care, while health related quality of life and participation in other life domains were secondary consequences of self-care. The team expertise was further used to hypothesise that parent factors (emotions, identity, actions), the child’s emotional functions and personal factors as well as peer relationships and norms may influence children’s self-care. These factors were not covered in the existing literature. CONCLUSIONS Subsequent research will investigate the hypotheses developed to further specify factors that self-care interventions for children and young people with a brain tumour should target. This will involve specifying when, how and to whom interventions should be targeted.

Aims This review assessed the efficacy of self-care interventions to improve biophysical, psychosocial or behavioural outcomes among older adults with diabetes. Methods Computerised and manual searches were performed. A total of 18 randomised control trials were included in the review, of which eight were subsequently included in the meta-analysis. Results Most studies were from the United States of America and adopted a collaborative approach with participants. The specific needs of older adults were often not considered, and there was a predominance of biophysical measures. Meta-analysis revealed that among intervention condition participants, there were improvements in HbA1c (pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) −0.33, 95%CI −0.48 to −0.17), systolic blood pressure (WMD −1.55, 95%CI −2.93 to −0.18), diastolic blood pressure (WMD −1.41 95%CI −2.08 to −0.20), triglyceride (WMD −13.25, 95%CI –23.31 to −3.20), high-density lipoprotein (WMD 2.05, 95%CI 1.04 to 3.06) and Diabetes Self-Care Activities score (mean 4.10, 95%CI 3.11 to 5.10) compared to the control group. There was no significant change for low-density lipoprotein (WMD −5.93, 95%CI −12.08 to 0.22). Conclusions While continuing to adopt a collaborative approach, future self-care interventions should incorporate psychosocial and behavioural outcomes, consider the specific needs of older adults, and focus on more ethnically diverse populations.

PubMedID: 30936067 Forcibly displaced people often lack access to adequate sexual and reproductive health services. Carmen Logie and colleagues examine the role of self care interventions in filling the gap © Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited.

Lymphedema, an abnormal accumulation of lymph fluid in the ipsilateral body area or upper limb, remains an ongoing major health problem affecting more than 40% of 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Patient-centered care related to lymphedema symptom management is often inadequately addressed in clinical research and practice. To provide patient – centered care, we developed The-Optimal-Lymph-Flow health IT system (TOLF), a web-and-mobile-based educational and behavioral mHealth intervention focusing on safe, innovative, and pragmatic electronic assessment and self-care strategies for lymphedema symptom management. Findings from psychometric, usability, and pilot feasibility studies demonstrate that women using TOLF for 12 weeks experienced significantly less pain (p=0.031), fewer numbers of lymphedema symptoms (p=0.003), and improved symptom distress (p=0.000). The study findings suggest that innovative web-and-mobile-based educational and behavioral mHealth interventions, such as TOLF, are easily accessible and have potential to improve breast cancer survivors’ quality of life.

ObjectivesThe Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort uses the cohort multiple randomised controlled trial design to embed trials of online self-care interventions for people living with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). To offer interventions to patients interested in using them, participants complete signalling items that query about the likelihood that patients would agree to participate in nine different hypothetical online programmes addressing common SSc-related problems. It is not known what factors influence patient-reported interest in participating in a particular online intervention and if intervention-specific signalling questions provide unique information or replicate broader characteristics, such as overall willingness to participate or self-efficacy. This study assessed factors that explain responses to intervention-specific signalling items.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingSPIN Cohort participants enrolled at 42 centres from Canada, the USA, the UK, France, Spain and Mexico who completed study questionnaires from March 2014 to January 2018 were included.MeasuresDemographic and disease characteristics, self-efficacy and symptoms related to each specific intervention were completed in addition to signalling items. General likelihood of using interventions was calculating by taking the mean score of the remaining signalling questions.Participants1060 participants with complete baseline data were included in the analyses.ResultsFor all individual signalling questions, controlling for other variables, the mean of the remaining signalling questions was the strongest predictor (standardised regression coefficient β from 0.61 (sleep) to 0.80 (self-management)). Smaller, but statistically significant, associations were found with the symptom associated with the respective signalling question and with general self-efficacy for 7 of 9 signalling questions.ConclusionsThe main factor associated with patients’ interest in participating in a disease-specific online self-care intervention is their general interest in participating in online interventions. Factors that may influence this general interest should be explored and taken into consideration when inviting patients to try online interventions.

Understanding the user, the health system, and the environment is key to ensuring that self care interventions for sexual and reproductive health are not only available but safe and empowering for all, say Laura Ferguson and colleagues

Michelle Remme and colleagues argue that if costs to users are considered and their financing is right, self care interventions for sexual and reproductive health can improve equity and efficiency

Technology-delivered interventions can improve the health behaviors and clinical outcomes of persons with diabetes, but only if end users engage with these interventions. To summarize the current knowledge on engagement with technology-based interventions, we conducted a review of recent mobile- and web-delivered intervention studies for adults with type 2 diabetes published from 2011 to 2015. Among 163 identified studies, 24 studies satisfied our inclusion criteria. There was substantial variation in how intervention engagement was reported across studies. Engagement rates were lower among interventions with a longer duration, and engagement decreased over time. In several studies, older age and lower health literacy were associated with less engagement, and more engagement was associated with intervention improvement in at least one outcome, including glycemic control. Future technology-based intervention studies should report on engagement, examine and report on associations between user characteristics and engagement, and aim to standardize how this is reported, particularly in longer trials.

During later years, the primary care services are experiencing a heavier strain in terms of increasing expenses and higher demand for medical services. An increased awareness about pharmaceutical adverse effects and the global concern of antibiotic resistance has given self-care and active surveillance a stronger position within the primary care services. The management strategy for minor illnesses is important because care-seekers tend to repeat successful strategies from past events, and past experience with self-care drives future self-care practices. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore people’s experiences and needs when practicing self-care and receiving self-care advice for minor illnesses. This was achieved by studying people’s experiences with and knowledge of minor illnesses, self-care interventions and channels of information used when providing self-care for minor illness. Needs for confidence in self-care were studied, as well as supporting and obstructing factors in the practice of self-care. Satisfaction with telephone nursing and people’s experiences of reassurance in relation to the decision-making process in self-care for minor illness was explored. The results showed that experience correlated with self-rated knowledge of the condition, and the least common conditions most often generated a health care services consultation. To confidently practice self-care people needed good knowledge and understanding about obtaining symptom relief. Younger persons more often reported the need of having family or friends to talk to. Easy access to care was most often reported as a support in self-care, and a lack of knowledge about illnesses was most often reported as obstructing self-care. Care-seekers receiving self-care advice were less satisfied with the telephone nursing than care-seekers referred to medical care, and feeling reassured after the call was the most important factor influencing satisfaction. Self-care advice had a constricting influence on healthcare utilization, with 66.1% of the cases resulting in a lower level of care than first intended. The course of action that persons in self-care decided on was found to relate to uncertainty and perception of risk. Reassurance had the potential to allay doubts and fears to confidence, thereby influencing self-care and consultation behavior. In conclusion, symptoms of minor illness can cause uncertainty and concern, and reassurance is an important factor influencing people’s course of action when afflicted with minor illness. The nurse constitutes a calming force, and the encounter between the nurse and the care-seeker holds a unique possibility of reassurance and confidence that minor illness is self-limiting to its nature and that effective interventions can provide relief and comfort. Just as health is more than the absence of disease, self-care is more than the absence of medical care.

PURPOSE this study system dente and exained published self-care ntetion desgd to *nrv glycenu control or quality of life (QoL) among ole, African Americn or Latino adults. METHODS Six electronic databases were searchecl Eligible publicato were thoe that described an intervnin to change knowledge, belie, or behavior among adults with diabetes who were either older than 55 years, African American, or Latino, and that measured the outcomes ofglyeic control or QoL. RESULTS Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 8 were rdomized conrlld trials (RCTs). Of the 8 RCTs, i7provd glycemic control was reported in the intervention arm of S RCTs comparedwith the control arm Of the 4 RCTs theat amined QoL, inprd QoL was reported in the idention ann of 1 study Charaaristics of sssid inter dio s ed poor glcmvic control at baseline (AlC>1 1%), adtural or agetaioring the inevto use of group counseling or support, and inzdmt of spouses and adult children. CONCLUSIONS Large-scale cinial trials designed according to aural and age cieria speciic for older Ltins and African Americas uh diabetes are needed to determine hbow best to adess this growing publc heath problem.

Encopresis, an elimination disorder in children, presents as a challenging problem for gastroenterology nurses working with patients and families confronted with this disorder. This article offers a summary of the literature on encopresis, including pathogenesis, causative factors, early treatment, and clinical interventions focused on self-care. The antecedent factors that facilitate the child's participation in self-care are summarized, along with the intended outcomes of the self-care intervention plan.

Medical self-care has always been a primary means of caring for health problems. Educational materials and interventions have been used for centuries to improve the quality of medical selfcare. However, relatively few studies have been undertaken to examine the effects of these interventions on the health of the individual or on the use of professional services. This review was undertaken to provide (1) a summary of studies describing the practice of medical self-care and (2) a summary of studies evaluating the impact of medical self-care interventions to improve selfinitiated responses to symptoms. In addition, we summarize the effectiveness of those self-care interventions.

To determine the effect of a self-care communication-based health education program on ambulatory care utilization, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted with a Medicare population within a health maintenance organization. A statistically significant decrease of 15% in total medical visits was found in the experimental group as compared with a control. Although not evident in the control, a statistically significant decrease in the ratio of follow-up visits from pre-entry to postentry was realized in the experimental group. Medical-visit decreases resulted in a savings of $36.65 per household in the experimental group for a benefit-cost ratio of 2.19 saved for every dollar spent on intervention. These results demonstrate that a health education program can reduce utilization while having no known negative impact on the quality of health.