Self-monitoring of health data by patients with a chronic disease: does disease controllability matter?
BACKGROUND
There is a growing emphasis on self-monitoring applications that allow patients to measure their own physical health parameters. A prerequisite for achieving positive effects is patients' willingness to self-monitor. The controllability of disease types, patients' perceived self-efficacy and health problems could play an essential role in this. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between patients' willingness to self-monitor and a range of disease and patient specific variables including controllability of disease type, patients' perceived self-efficacy and health problems.


METHODS
Data regarding 627 participants with 17 chronic somatic disease types from a Dutch panel of people with chronic diseases have been used for this cross-sectional study. Perceived self-efficacy was assessed using the general self-efficacy scale, perceived health problems using the Physical Health Composite Score (PCS). Participants indicated their willingness to self-monitor. An expert panel assessed for 17 chronic disease types the extent to which patients can independently keep their disease in control. Logistic regression analyses were conducted.


RESULTS
Patients' willingness to self-monitor differs greatly among disease types: patients with diabetes (71.0%), asthma (59.6%) and hypertension (59.1%) were most willing to self-monitor. In contrast, patients with rheumatism (40.0%), migraine (41.2%) and other neurological disorders (42.9%) were less willing to self-monitor. It seems that there might be a relationship between disease controllability scores and patients' willingness to self-monitor. No evidence is found of a relationship between general self-efficacy and PCS scores, and patients' willingness to self-monitor.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides the first evidence that patients' willingness to self-monitor might be associated with disease controllability. Further research should investigate this association more deeply and should focus on how disease controllability influences willingness to self-monitor. In addition, since willingness to self-monitor differed greatly among patient groups, it should be taken into account that not all patient groups are willing to self-monitor.
Department of Health Services Research, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. m.huygens@maastrichtuniversity.nl.|Centre for Care Technology Research, Maastricht, The Netherlands. m.huygens@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Martine W J
MW
Huygens
NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, P.O. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Centre for Care Technology Research, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Ilse C S
IC
Swinkels
NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, P.O. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Judith D
JD
de Jong
NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, P.O. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Monique J W M
MJ
Heijmans
NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, P.O. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tranzo, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands.|Centre for Care Technology Research, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Roland D
RD
Friele
Department of Family Medicine, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Centre for Care Technology Research, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Onno C P
OC
van Schayck
Department of Health Services Research, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Research Center Technology in Care, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 550, 6400 AN, Heerlen, The Netherlands.|Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH), University of Sheffield, 217 Portobello, Sheffield, S1 4DP, UK.|Centre for Care Technology Research, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Luc P
LP
de Witte
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D020377:Self Efficacy
Chronic disease; Disease controllability; Patients; Self-management; Self-monitoring