Web-based self-management support training for health professionals: A pilot study

ObjectiveTo evaluate a web-based self-management training for health professionals. Patients spend 99% of their time outside the healthcare system. Thus self-management support from health professionals is central to optimal care. Our objective was to teach health professionals the skills to provide this support.MethodsPrimary care residents and practicing providers enrolled in six groups. Each group received four web-based interactive training sessions derived from self-efficacy theory. Retrospective-pre/post assessed changes in self-management beliefs and confidence. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction compared responses. Focus groups solicited qualitative feedback.ResultsFifty-seven residents and providers across the United States enrolled. Residents demonstrated positive changes on all belief questions (P 0.001–0.012). Practicing providers had a non-significant positive change on one and significant changes on the remainder (P 0.001–0.018). Both types of participants demonstrated significant increases on confidence questions regarding their ability to support self-management (P < 0.01 for all). Participants described learned techniques as being useful, reducing burnout, and increasing acceptance of patient involvement in care planning.ConclusionThe web-based self-management support training for health professionals was feasible and changed beliefs and confidence.Practice implicationsThe program may maximize patient self-management by increasing provider self-efficacy and skill for self-management support.