Self-Management of Chronic Disease

A special issue of Nursing Reports (ISSN 2039-4403).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 4606

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Interests: health behavior; self-management and self-care; chronic disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nursing Reports intends to publish a Special Issue on the topic of “Self-Management of Chronic Disease” in 2024. You are invited to submit a proposal for a manuscript for this Special Issue. Chronic disease accounts for 74% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. There are at least 20 recognized chronic diseases, and many tend to occur in clusters, accounting for the high incidence of multiple chronic conditions in individuals. Health behaviors are the leading contributors to these highly prevalent conditions. There is evidence for the improvement in these conditions through self-management practices. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts which address the theories of self-management, the effective components in self-management, the self-management of multiple chronic conditions, patient adherence to self-management practices, the training of providers in the delivery of self-management education for patients, self-management effectiveness with co-occurring mental health conditions and across the age span, and related topics.

Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • self-management
  • chronic disorders
  • multimorbidity
  • health behavior change
  • self-regulation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 700 KiB  
Article
Chronic Illness Perceptions and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Behaviors in Black and Latinx Sexual Minority Men with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
by S. Raquel Ramos, Baram Kang, Sangchoon Jeon, Marilyn Fraser, Trace Kershaw and Mohamed Boutjdir
Nurs. Rep. 2024, 14(3), 1922-1936; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030143 - 8 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Ethnic and racial sexual minority men with HIV have a disproportionately higher risk of HIV-related cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is a lack of tailored and culturally salient behavioral interventions to address HIV-related chronic illness in ethnic and racial sexual minority men, and literature [...] Read more.
Ethnic and racial sexual minority men with HIV have a disproportionately higher risk of HIV-related cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is a lack of tailored and culturally salient behavioral interventions to address HIV-related chronic illness in ethnic and racial sexual minority men, and literature on their understanding and awareness of modifiable behavioral risks is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess illness perceptions about HIV and HTN, and describe physical activity, tobacco, and e-cigarette use in Black and Latinx sexual minority men living with HIV. We used the validated Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) to assess perceptions about two interrelated chronic diseases, HIV and CVD. To assess CVD behavioral risk, we assessed physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Tobacco and e-cigarette use were assessed using items from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Sleep difficulties were the most prevalent symptom attributed to HIV, and were statistically associated with fatigue, upset stomach, and loss of strength. Anxiety was reported to be caused by HIV (57%) and HTN (39%). Half of the participants engaged in vigorous activity for 128 min (SD = 135) daily, and 63% engaged in moderate activity for 94 min (SD = 88) daily. Over a third reported current tobacco use and 20% reported current e-cigarette use. This study provides formative data to better understand how Black and Latinx sexual minority men with HIV perceive intersecting chronic illnesses and their engagement in modifiable CVD risk behaviors. Sleep, mental health disparities, and financial hardships were commonly reported. More research is needed to address intersecting chronic illnesses and mental health conditions that are influenced by social positioning over the life course, and impact CVD risk factors. This study was not registered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Management of Chronic Disease)
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27 pages, 1109 KiB  
Article
Defining Self-Management for Solid Organ Transplantation Recipients: A Mixed Method Study
by Katie Brunner, Lydia Weisschuh, Stefan Jobst, Christiane Kugler and Anne Rebafka
Nurs. Rep. 2024, 14(2), 961-987; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14020073 - 17 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1462
Abstract
Patients with Solid Organ Transplantations (SOTx) face long-term lifestyle adaptations, psychological and social adjustments, and complex self-care regimes to maintain health post-transplant. Self-management (SM) skills represent important aspects of nursing communication with SOTx patients; however, there is potential for SM to be defined [...] Read more.
Patients with Solid Organ Transplantations (SOTx) face long-term lifestyle adaptations, psychological and social adjustments, and complex self-care regimes to maintain health post-transplant. Self-management (SM) skills represent important aspects of nursing communication with SOTx patients; however, there is potential for SM to be defined narrowly in terms of medication adherence. The study presented here collated the existing definitions in a mixed method review in order to identify SM attributes for this group (including those unique to this population). Secondary analysis of a dataset and bibliographic analysis and an expert panel were used to develop a comprehensive working definition of SOTx patients. The analysis comprised critical interpretation of the evolving definition content, concepts, and contexts of application in current usages and over time. We identified eight definitions and 63 cited definition sources from bibliographic analysis. Findings identified limitations of the existing definitions. Population-specific attributes included optimisation of transplant outcomes, active engagement in healthy behaviours, control, structure, and discipline characteristics, and moderating factors of patient motivation, self-efficacy, and cognitive function. A critical appraisal of definitions indicated inadequately defined aspects such as setting, temporal dimension, concept interaction, interventions, and measurable outcomes. The bibliographic analysis highlighted the influence of broader chronic illness constructions of SM, underpinning the generalisable SM attributes in current definitions. Further research may advance the development of a definition in exploring the relevance of SOTx-specific attributes of the definition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Management of Chronic Disease)
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10 pages, 243 KiB  
Article
The Rising Challenge of Poor Health Literacy of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: Preliminary Data Identify Important Unmet Needs in an Italian Cohort
by Khadija El Aoufy, Maria Ramona Melis, Paolo Iovino, Stefano Bambi, Chiara Lorini, Guglielmo Bonaccorsi, Ilaria Galetti, Carla Garbagnati, Paola Canziani, Silvia Tonolo, Marco Mitola, Serena Guiducci, Daniel E. Furst, Marco Matucci-Cerinic, Laura Rasero and Silvia Bellando-Randone
Nurs. Rep. 2024, 14(1), 556-565; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14010043 - 5 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1325
Abstract
Rationale and aim: Health literacy (HL) is pivotal for the successful self-management of chronic diseases. Little HL information is currently available in SSc patients; therefore, the present study aims at evaluating the HL levels in an Italian cohort of SSc patients. Methods: SSc [...] Read more.
Rationale and aim: Health literacy (HL) is pivotal for the successful self-management of chronic diseases. Little HL information is currently available in SSc patients; therefore, the present study aims at evaluating the HL levels in an Italian cohort of SSc patients. Methods: SSc patients were enrolled with the support of Italian patient associations, from September 2022 to March 2023. Health literacy characteristics were derived from the Health Literacy Scale European Questionnaire-16 (HLS-EU-Q16), consisting of 16 items designed on a four-point Likert scale ranging from “very difficult” to “very easy”, and three HL levels were identified: inadequate HL (0–8 score); problematic HL (9–12 score); and sufficient HL (13–16 score). Results: Enrolled patients (n = 57, mean age = 59 years, SD = 13.2) were mostly female (98.2%), partnered (73.7%), and unemployed or retired (67.9%). Almost half of SSc patients were diagnosed more than 10 years ago, with first symptoms appearing on average 19 years ago (SD 10.5). In 63% of the participants, the overall health literacy skills were inadequate, or problematic, especially in the health care and disease prevention domains. Indeed, 49.2% of the patients declared difficulty in finding information on treatments for illnesses and where to get professional help (42.1%), 47.6% found difficulty in retrieving information on how to manage mental health problems, and 40.4% declared difficulties in judging whether the information on health risks in the media was reliable. Conclusions: Our findings show that SSc patients have inadequate or problematic levels of HL, suggesting the need for periodic screenings to uncover poor health literacy skills and to provide tailored and understandable educational material. This study was not registered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Management of Chronic Disease)
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