title: A scoping review of the literature on benefits and challenges of participating in patient education programs aimed at promoting self-management for people living with chronic illness.
abstract: To give a comprehensive overview of benefits and challenges from participating in group based patient education programs that are carried out by health care professionals and lay participants, aimed at promoting self-management for people living with chronic illness.
  
  
  
  We searched 8 literature databases. Full text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved and reviewed. Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping studies guided the review process and thematic analysis was undertaken to synthesize extracted data.
  
  
  
  Of the 5935 titles identified, 47 articles were included in this review. The participants experienced the programs as beneficial according to less symptom distress and greater awareness of their own health, improved self-management strategies, peer support, learning and hope.
  
  
  
  A substantial evidence base supports the conclusion that group based self-management patient education programs in different ways have been experienced as beneficial, but more research is needed.
  
  
  
  The insights gained from this review can enable researchers, health care professionals, and participants to understand the complexity in evaluating self-management patient education programs, and constitute a basis for a more standardized and systematic evaluation. The results may also encourage health care professionals in planning and carrying out programs in cooperation with lay participants.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Learning and Mastery in Health, Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4959 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway; Center for Shared Decision Making and Collaborative Care Research, Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4959 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: una.stenberg@mestring.no.
authors.forename: Una
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Stenberg
authors.affiliation: Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Learning and Mastery in Health, Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4959 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: mette.haaland-overby@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haaland-Øverby
authors.affiliation: Learning and Mastery Center, Stavanger University Hospital, Postboks 8100, 4068 Stavanger, Norway. Electronic address: kari.fredriksen@sus.no.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fredriksen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Learning and Mastery in Health, Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4959 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: karl.fredrik.westermann@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karl Fredrik
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Westermann
authors.affiliation: Patient Education Resource Center, Møre and Romsdal Hospital, Herman Døhlens vei 1, 6508 Kristiansund, Norway. Electronic address: toril.kvisvik@helse-mr.no.
authors.forename: Toril
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kvisvik
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010358:Patient Participation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D020377:Self Efficacy
keywords: Chronic disease; Disease management; Patient education; Patient participation; Self efficacy