title: Building the evidence base for chronic disease self-management support interventions across Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this project was to determine how to improve evaluation of self-management support (SMS) in Canada to generate high-quality evidence to guide policy-makers, implementers, providers and participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  This project used a multi-method approach, including a scoping and a focused literature review, an internet scan, interviews with key stakeholders, a review of existing theoretical evaluation frameworks and a consensus meeting with experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes were identified through the collection and analysis of data: 1) diverse SMS interventions are identifiable; 2) emerging evaluation activity in Canada is limited to mostly disease-specific, clinic-based programs; 3) there is little evaluation capacity among program implementers in Canada; and 4) there is a gap between the evidence and expectations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policy-makers, community organizations and health care teams, regional health authorities and, most importantly, people living with chronic conditions, need better evidence about how to support self-management in their communities. Measuring outcomes must be an explicit part of program implementation and development and requires coordinated support. A common evaluation framework may provide researchers, practitioners and decision- or policy-makers with a systems approach to understanding the possible structural and process factors that can affect self-management outcomes, and could support capacity building in evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family medicine, University of Ottawa, ON. SJohnston@bruyere.org
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liddy
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mill
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Irving
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012648:Self Care; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Self-care; chronic disease; program evaluation; self-management support