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604-940-1273 | Toll Free 1-866-902-3767

selfmgmt@uvic.ca

www.selfmanagementbc.ca

Definition of Self-Management

The tasks that individuals must undertake to live well with one or more chronic conditions. These tasks include having the confidence to deal with medical management, role management and emotional management of their conditions.

The US Institute of Medicine 2004

Self-Efficacy : Health Outcomes

Self-Efficacy Enhancing Strategies

• Mastery Learning• Modeling• Reinterpreting Symptoms• Persuasion

Chronic Pain Self-Management Program (CPSMP)

LINKING PEOPLE TOCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Only 25% of persons with chronic health conditions are referred to community self-management programs by health care professionals.Health Council of Canada, January 2010

The probability of a person taking a community self-management program increases 18 fold if it is recommended by a health care professional.Murphy et al., 2009. Arthritis and Rheumatism

BRUCE’S STORY

• 57 years old, lives alone, enjoys nature and dirt biking

• motorcycle accident, damaged nerves in leg

• described pain as:• electric shocks, lightning bolts, burning• like an animal gnawing away at it, or ground glass in the joint• affected by the weather

• also reported he was:• worried about his health and his future• overwhelmed and feeling depressed, vulnerable• didn’t like the way it was affecting him physically and mentally,

was becoming an angry person, “losing a lot of what I am”• afraid he’d end up doing whatever it takes to be able to function –

using alcohol, drug use

FINDING THE PROGRAM

• saw ad in local paper for Chronic Pain Self-Management workshop• offered by UVic and Ministry of Health, instilled confidence• called toll free to register

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

• glad the course appeared to be “going in the same direction” as what he needed

• relieved, thought it could have taken him a lifetime to find out about these things by himself

• initially felt he was out of his age group but quickly put that aside• realized others were experiencing worse pain than him, “made me put

my pain in a different perspective”

• saw that others were managing and could still laugh• realized “it didn’t hurt when I was laughing”• felt relaxed

BRUCE REPORTS, WHAT WAS HELPFUL...

• becoming more proactive with medications

• learning techniques to help stay calm

• the techniques even helped relieve migraine headaches

• it was a system (techniques) I could apply to my situation...I can weave them into my life,

keeping the changes to a minimum so I can still be the person I am

• quality of life is a top priority, I believe I can still do the things I wanted to do (maybe not the quantity) and be able to age gracefully

• give me the box with the right tools...and I’ll make it work!