MHSC8114 The Person's Experience of Self-Management

Chronic condition self-management is ultimately about improving health outcomes and quality of life for people with chronic conditions. Through case studies, personal research and role play exercises, students of this topic will be encouraged to enhance their understanding and appreciation of the experiences of people with chronic conditions, their interactions with health systems and their use of self management techniques and models. An appreciation of how lifestyle choices and the social determinants of health and illness relate to the person's motivation to change their behaviour, and their attempts to manage their lives, is essential to this topic.

Students will develop an understanding of the barriers to and facilitators of effective self-management for and by the person.

This topic aims to:

• Enhance students' understanding of the person's experience of illness, diagnosis and disability as part of building ethical, client-centered practice
• Apply this understanding to enhance students' interaction with and support to people with chronic illness and enhance their understanding of the person's experience of interaction with health systems
• Enhance students' understanding of how to support recovery via the management and self-management of chronic conditions by the person in their environment
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience and the process of change, including the barriers and enabling factors within the person and their environment that impact on their capacity to self-manage effectively
• Analyse and evaluate existing self-management support programs and resources that exist for people with chronic conditions, their carers, families

1. Utilise effective person-centred support through examining the person’s experience of lifelong conditions within their socio-cultural context
2. Develop more effective person-centred, culturally sensitive support to people with lifelong conditions through critical analysis and evaluation of their existing approach to people living with lifelong conditions
3. Apply critical and ethical analysis to the complexity of the lifelong illness experience and response to determine people’s readiness for health behaviour change
4. Advocate for health professionals and other support providers to adopt practices and create healthcare delivery systems that enhance their ability to partner with patients/clients to manage their lifelong conditions
5. Examine the trajectory of lifelong illnesses, from diagnosis to palliation, and how this influences the person’s responses to self-management and their interaction with the health system