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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2012 Nov 1;103(6):e462–e467. doi: 10.1007/BF03405639

Building the Evidence Base for Chronic Disease Self-management Support Interventions Across Canada

Sharon Johnston 116,216,, Clare Liddy 116, Karina Mill 116, Hannah Irving 116
PMCID: PMC6975212  PMID: 23618029

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this project was to determine how to improve evaluation of self-management support (SMS) in Canada to generate high-quality evidence to guide policy-makers, implementers, providers and participants.

Methods: This project used a multi-method approach, including a scoping and a focused literature review, an internet scan, interviews with key stakeholders, a review of existing theoretical evaluation frameworks and a consensus meeting with experts.

Results: Four themes were identified through the collection and analysis of data: 1) diverse SMS interventions are identifiable; 2) emerging evaluation activity in Canada is limited to mostly disease-specific, clinic-based programs; 3) there is little evaluation capacity among program implementers in Canada; and 4) there is a gap between the evidence and expectations.

Conclusion: Policy-makers, community organizations and health care teams, regional health authorities and, most importantly, people living with chronic conditions, need better evidence about how to support self-management in their communities. Measuring outcomes must be an explicit part of program implementation and development and requires coordinated support. A common evaluation framework may provide researchers, practitioners and decision- or policy-makers with a systems approach to understanding the possible structural and process factors that can affect self-management outcomes, and could support capacity building in evaluation.

Key words: Self-care, self-management support, chronic disease, program evaluation

Footnotes

Sources of support: This work was supported by a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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