Table 3.

Acquiring skills and competencies—strategies with sufficient or some evidence to support their implementation

Sufficient evidence	Some evidence
Single strategies
None identified	None identified
Combined strategies
• People self-managing antithrombotics (self-testing and self-adjusting therapy based on a predetermined dose schedule) decreases thromboembolic events and mortality; and there is some evidence that self-management improves clinical outcomes, but with mixed results [9].  • Self-monitoring (self-testing and calling clinic for the appropriate dose adjustment) of antithrombotic is effective in reducing major hemorrhages [9].  • In hypertension, there is also sufficient evidence that home blood pressure monitoring is generally effective to improve clinical markers for hypertension, medicines overuse, and therapeutic inertia [9].	• A home safety toolkit for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s improve home safety, risky behavior, caregiver self-efficacy, and caregiver strain [53]. • Strategies that focus on the acquisition of skills and competencies may improve adherence to medicines and clinical outcomes, but results are mixed [9]. • Patient-controlled analgesia may increase analgesic consumption and decrease pain scores, although with mixed results [9]. • Structured patient-controlled analgesia education may improve knowledge, but there is insufficient evidence that it improves postoperative pain control [9]. • Packaged resources or guidelines providing information and/or activation (e.g. information or tools to prompt action for actively managing a condition) are potential sources of self-management support for patients [5]. • Intensive mixed strategy health literacy interventions that promote adherence and facilitate self-management may reduce use of health care services (emergency room visits and hospitalizations) [11]. • Mixed strategy health literacy interventions including individual or group counseling may improve self-management behaviors (e.g. physical activity, foot care, medication adherence, and glucose self-monitoring) [11].