Table 3.
Content of the self-management programme for employees with a chronic somatic disease.
| Timing | Lesson | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |
Introduction Importance of physical exercise |
- Overview of the course |
| - Objectives of the course | ||
| - Objectives of the participants | ||
| - Inventory of problems encountered at work by the chronic disease | ||
| - Introduction to cope with symptoms by using guided imagery | ||
| - The importance of physical exercise for people with a chronic disease | ||
| - Introduction to making action plans | ||
| Week 2 | Coping with pain, fatigue and stress at work | - Symptoms that interfere with the ability to work |
| - Situations causing stress, pain or fatigue (at work) | ||
| - Solutions to deal with stress, pain or fatigue (at work) | ||
| - Breathing exercises | ||
| - Introduction to cognitive symptom management | ||
| Week 3 | Importance of healthy nutrition/Problems encountered at work | - Introduction to healthy nutrition |
| - The importance of healthy nutrition for people with a chronic disease | ||
| - Introduction to working with a chronic disease | ||
| - Introduction to the model of work load and work capacity | ||
| - Solutions at the workplace | ||
| Week 4 | Communication techniques at the workplace | - Communication techniques |
| - How to communicate with supervisor and colleagues about the problems encountered at work | ||
| - How to communicate with supervisor and colleagues about possible solutions at work | ||
| - How to communicate with family and friends about the problems and possible solutions to combine work and home | ||
| Week 5 | Working together with occupational health professionals | - Working together with occupational health professionals and HRM advisors at work |
| Week 6 | Plans for the future | - What has been accomplished the past six weeks? |
| - What have we learned in the course? | ||
| - Formulating long-term plans | ||