Objective: Research demonstrates that few rural health clinicians use or understand the patient-centred negotiation process to support chronic disease self management (CDSM). Health professionals express a need for accessible education and support to enable them to provide effective CDSM support to clients. We developed an online learning program - Supporting Chronic Disease Self Management - to address this need.
Methods: The program teaches health professionals to apply communication theory and strategies from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) in order to engage clients in their own care and to negotiate patient centred goals. The program comprises five on-line modules, supported by video clips, a suite of online tools and a workbook. The program was piloted with 35 primary health care staff from a range of professional backgrounds. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to inform the process and outcome evaluation.
Results: Participants found the training useful and interactive, stating that it built on previous knowledge and skills. Revisions were made to the content and the style of the online learning package using participant feedback. Users’ self efficacy significantly improved over time (t (19) = 4.35, p<.001). Users named a wide range of intended practice changes.
Conclusions: The online program was well-received by health professionals. There is great potential for this program to increase the accessibility of CDSM training to remote and rural health professionals as well as those unable to attend face to face training.