[A view Down Under. Self-management initiatives and patient education in Australia].
The growing burden of chronic disease and the current nature of healthcare systems which are structurally ill-equipped to cater to the complex needs of patients with chronic conditions has led to governments and healthcare providers seeking alternative ways to improve patients own capacity to actively self-manage their chronic condition. In Australia, there has been a focus on patient education and self-management programs within the healthcare system to achieve this. These programs aim to empower patients through providing information and teaching skills and techniques to improve self-care and doctor-patient interaction with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. Patient education and self-management programs have been supported through several national government initiatives and implemented within the healthcare setting. This paper describes the current position of patient education and self-management within the Australian healthcare system. It further describes a new collaboration project between an Australian and a German research team which aims at translating an assessment questionnaire used in Australia for the evaluation of self-management programs, the "Health Education Impact Questionnaire" ("heiQ"); this instrument is expected to be of significant use in the German rehabilitative system.
Schwarze
M
M
Koordinierungsstelle Angewandte Rehabilitationsforschung, Klinik für Rehabilitationsmedizin, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover. schwarze.monika@mh-hannover.de
Kirchhof
R
R
Schuler
M
M
Musekamp
G
G
Nolte
S
S
Jordan
J E
JE
Osborne
R H
RH
Ehlebracht-König
I
I
Faller
H
H
Gutenbrunner
C
C
D001315:Australia; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012648:Self Care