Movement through Active Personalised engagement (MAP) - a self-management programme designed to promote physical activity in people with multimorbidity: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, defined as two or more concurrent chronic diseases within the same individual, is becoming the clinical norm within primary care. Given the burden of multimorbidity on individuals, carers and health care systems, there is a need for effective self-management programmes. Promoting active participation within their clinical care and following a healthy lifestyle will help empower patients and target lifestyle factors that are exacerbating their conditions. The aim of this study is to establish whether a tailored, structured self-management programme can improve levels of physical activity at 12 months, in people with multimorbidity. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a single-centre randomised controlled trial, with follow-up at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome is change in objectively assessed average daily physical activity at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include medication adherence, lifestyle behaviours, quality of life, chronic disease self-efficacy and self-efficacy for exercise. Anthropometric and clinical measurements include blood pressure, muscle strength, lipid profile, kidney function and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Participants are recruited from primary care. Those between 40 and 85 years of age with multimorbidity, with a good understanding of written and verbal English, who are able to give informed consent, have access to a mobile phone for use in study activities and are able to walk independently will be invited to participate. Multimorbidity is defined as two or more of the chronic conditions listed in the Quality and Outcomes Framework. A total of 338 participants will be randomly assigned, with stratification for gender and ethnicity, to either the control group, receiving usual care, or the intervention group, who are invited to the Movement through Active Personalised engagement programme. This involves attending four group-based self-management sessions aimed at increasing physical activity, mastering emotions, managing treatments and using effective communication. The sessions are delivered by trained facilitators, and regular text messages during the study period provide ongoing support. Changes in primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed, and an economic evaluation of the intervention undertaken. DISCUSSION: This study will provide new evidence on whether physical activity can be promoted alongside other self-management strategies in a multimorbid population and whether this leads to improvements in clinical, biomedical, psychological and quality of life outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN 42791781 . Registered on 14 March 2017.

'Making every contact count': Evaluation of the impact of an intervention to train health and social care practitioners in skills to support health behaviour change.

A total of 148 health and social care practitioners were trained in skills to support behaviour change: creating opportunities to discuss health behaviours, using open discovery questions, listening, reflecting and goal-setting. At three time points post-training, use of the skills was evaluated and compared with use of skills by untrained practitioners. Trained practitioners demonstrated significantly greater use of these client-centred skills to support behaviour change compared to their untrained peers up to 1 year post-training. Because it uses existing services to deliver support for behaviour change, this training intervention has the potential to improve public health at relatively low cost.

Healthy conversation skills: increasing competence and confidence in front-line staff.

OBJECTIVE: (i) To assess change in confidence in having conversations that support parents with healthy eating and physical activity post-training. (ii) To assess change in staff competence in using 'open discovery' questions (those generally beginning with 'how' and 'what' that help individuals reflect and identify barriers and solutions) post-training. (iii) To examine the relationship between confidence and competence post-training. DESIGN: A pre-post evaluation of 'Healthy Conversation Skills', a staff training intervention. SETTING: Sure Start Children's Centres in Southampton, England. SUBJECTS: A total of 145 staff working in Sure Start Children's Centres completed the training, including play workers (43%) and community development or family support workers (35%). RESULTS: We observed an increase in median confidence rating for having conversations about healthy eating and physical activity (both P < 0·001), and in using 'open discovery' questions (P < 0·001), after staff attended the 'Healthy Conversation Skills' training. We also found a positive relationship between the use of 'open discovery' questions and confidence in having conversations about healthy eating post-training (r = 0·21, P = 0·01), but a non-significant trend was observed for having conversations about physical activity (r = 0·15, P = 0·06). CONCLUSIONS: The 'Healthy Conversation Skills' training proved effective at increasing the confidence of staff working at Sure Start Children's Centres to have more productive conversations with parents about healthy eating. Wider implementation of these skills may be a useful public health nutrition capacity building strategy to help community workers support families with young children to eat more healthy foods.

Implementation of new Healthy Conversation Skills to support lifestyle changes - what helps and what hinders? Experiences of Sure Start Children's Centre staff.

Effective communication is necessary for good relationships between healthcare practitioners and clients. This study examined barriers and facilitators to implementing new communication skills. One hundred and ten Sure Start Children's Centre staff attended one of 13 follow-up workshops in Southampton, UK between May 2009 and February 2011 to reflect on the use of new skills following a training course in communication, reflection and problem-solving. Barriers and facilitators were assessed with an adapted Problematic Experiences of Therapy scale (PETS). Staff reported frequency of skill use, and described what made it more difficult or easier to use the skills. Complete data were available for 101 trainees. The PETS indicated that staff had confidence in using the skills, but felt that there were practical barriers to using them, such as lack of time. Skills were used less often when staff perceived parents not to be engaging with them (Spearman's correlation r(s) = -0.42, P < 0.001), when staff felt less confident to use the skills (r(s) = -0.37, P < 0.001) and when there were more practical barriers (r(s) = -0.37, P < 0.001). In support of findings from the PETS, content analysis of free text responses suggested that the main barrier was a perceived lack of time to implement new skills. Facilitators included seeing the benefits of using the skills, finding opportunities and having good relationships with parents. Understanding the range of barriers and facilitators to implementation is essential when developing training to facilitate ongoing support and sustain skill use. Special attention should be given to exploring trainees' perceptions of time, to be able to address this significant barrier to skill implementation. Staff training requires a multi-faceted approach to address the range of perceived barriers.

Medication discussion between nurse prescribers and people with diabetes: an analysis of content and participation using MEDICODE.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study to identify the content of, and participation in, medicine discussion between nurse prescribers and people with diabetes in England. BACKGROUND: Diabetes affects 246 million people worldwide and effective management of medicines is an essential component of successful disease control. There are now over 20,000 nurse independent prescribers in the UK, many of whom frequently prescribe for people with diabetes. With this responsibility comes a challenge to effectively communicate with patients about medicines. National guidelines on medicines communication have recently been issued, but the extent to which nurse prescribers are facilitating effective medicine-taking in diabetes remains unknown. METHODS: A purposive sample of 20 nurse prescribers working with diabetes patients audio-recorded 59 of their routine consultations and a descriptive analysis was conducted using a validated coding tool: MEDICODE. Recordings were collected between January and July 2008. The unit of analysis was the medicine. RESULTS: A total of 260 instances of medicine discussion identified in the audio-recordings were analysed. The most frequently raised themes were 'medication named' (raised in 88·8% of medicines), 'usage of medication' (65·4%) and 'instructions for taking medication' (48·5%). 'Reasons for medication' (8·5%) and 'concerns about medication' were infrequently discussed (2·7%). Measures of consultation participation suggest largely dyadic medicine discussion initiated by nurse prescribers. CONCLUSION: MEDICODE discussion themes linked to principles of recent guidelines for effective medicine-taking were infrequently raised. Medicine discussion was characterized by a one statement-one response style of communication led by nurses. Professional development is required to support theoretically informed approaches to effective medicines management.

The Southampton Initiative for Health: a complex intervention to improve the diets and increase the physical activity levels of women from disadvantaged communities.

The Southampton Initiative for Health is a training intervention with Sure Start Children's Centre staff designed to improve the diets and physical activity levels of women of childbearing age. Training aims to help staff to support women in making changes to their lifestyles by improving three skills: reflection on current practice; asking 'open discovery' questions; and goal-setting. The impact of the training on staff practice is being assessed. A before and after non-randomized controlled trial is being used to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention in improving women's diets and increasing their physical activity levels.

The impact of an intervention for nurse prescribers on consultations to promote patient medicine-taking in diabetes: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Nurse prescribers are in a key position to promote medicine-taking in diabetes. Although patients' beliefs about medicines are important predictors of medicine-taking, evidence suggests nurses do not routinely explore these. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a theory-based intervention designed to increase nurse prescribers' exploration of medicines' beliefs with people with diabetes. DESIGN: Mixed methods concurrent triangulation design. SETTINGS: Nurse prescribers were recruited from 7 Trusts in England. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 14 nurse prescribers attended four 1 day workshops. METHODS: Audio-recordings of each nurse prescribers' consultations with diabetes patients were collected at baseline, 1 week, 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. Nurse prescribers were interviewed at 1 month and 6 months post-intervention. Changes in medicines' discussion and participation in consultations were analysed using MEDICODE. Interview data were analysed using Framework Analysis. RESULTS: MEDICODE themes of 'attitudes towards medication' showed a significant rise at 1 week (p<0.01) and 3 months (p<0.05). 'Asks patient opinion about medication' significantly increased at 1 week (p<0.01). Discussion on 'concerns about medication' rose significantly at 1 week (p<0.001) and 6 months (p<0.01). Discussion on 'expected effects of medication', 'action of medication' and 'reasons for medication' showed no change. There were no significant changes in Dialogue Ratio. However, the Preponderance of Initiative moved towards more patient initiative at 1 week (p<0.0001), 3 months (p<0.0001), and 6 months (p<0.0001). In interviews, nurses reported increased attention to patients' medication beliefs and adoption of patient-centred skills. Contextual factors that positively influenced ability to explore medicines beliefs in practice settings were: support of colleagues and practicing new skills. Inhibiting factors included: patients' perceived lack of receptivity, time constraints, and concerns about opening a 'can of worms'. Six months interviews revealed using skills in practice enhanced nurses' confidence and sustainability of skills requires a nurse-patient relationship. Method triangulation illuminated how the intervention was implemented in practice contexts. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was effective at changing some key dimensions of prescribing consultations. The use of a self-efficacy framework in the intervention, to promote nurses' confidence in working in a different way, may have been instrumental in effecting the changes found. Contextual factors influencing beliefs exploration in medicine-taking consultations were identified.

Frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes: association with hypoglycaemic events.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to describe current self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) practice for patients with type 2 diabetes by treatment type and adherence with healthcare professional advice concerning SMBG. In addition, the study aims to investigate the association of SMBG and self-reported episodes of low blood glucose. DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross-sectional survey design study was carried out on patients with type 2 diabetes aged 18 years or over, attending community pharmacies in 97 sites across the United Kingdom. METHODS: Patients picking up a prescription for blood glucose test strips or diabetes medicine from a community pharmacist were asked to complete a questionnaire. The pharmacist was available to assist if requested. Questions included: self-reports of frequency of blood glucose testing; type of diabetes treatment; advice given by healthcare professionals about frequency of blood glucose testing; frequency of episodes of low blood glucose; and last known HbA(1c) level. The final sample size was 554 respondents, who were grouped for analysis as follows: those being treated with insulin, either alone or with any oral medication (n = 167); those being treated with sulfonylureas, either alone or with any oral medication (n = 187); and those being treated with any other medication, or controlled by diet and exercise alone (n = 202). RESULTS: Frequency of SMBG was higher in patients using insulin (median 10 times per week, Q (1), Q (3) = 4.5, 14) than in patients on treatments other than insulin (four times per week, Q (1), Q (3) = 2, 7, p < 0.001). SMBG was carried out at the same frequency in patients not treated with insulin regardless of whether they were prescribed sulfonylureas. Greater frequency of SMBG was associated with self-reports of one or more episodes of low blood glucose in the previous six months. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes, those treated with insulin used SMBG at a greater frequency than those not treated with insulin. Increased frequency of testing was associated with increased frequency of self-reported episodes of low blood glucose, even among patients not taking insulin or sulfonylureas. This raises the possibility that episodes of hypoglycaemia may not be accurately identified, leading to unnecessary fear, or conversely that treatment is not being adjusted to avoid such morbidity. Although further work is needed to explore this association in a representative, prospective cohort of patients, possible explanations for reports of low-blood glucose should be discussed with patients using SMBG more frequently to ensure they are able to accurately identify episodes of hypoglycaemia.

Analysis System for Self-Efficacy Training (ASSET). Assessing treatment fidelity of self-management interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The paper presents the development of a coding tool for self-efficacy orientated interventions in diabetes self-management programmes (Analysis System for Self-Efficacy Training, ASSET) and explores its construct validity and clinical utility. METHODS: Based on four sources of self-efficacy (i.e., mastery experience, role modelling, verbal persuasion and physiological and affective states), published self-efficacy based interventions for diabetes care were analysed in order to identify specific verbal behavioural techniques. Video-recorded facilitating behaviours were evaluated using ASSET. RESULTS: The reliability between four coders was high (K=0.71). ASSET enabled assessment of both self-efficacy based techniques and participants' response to those techniques. Individual patterns of delivery and shifts over time across facilitators were found. In the presented intervention we observed that self-efficacy utterances were followed by longer patient verbal responses than non-self-efficacy utterances. CONCLUSION: These detailed analyses with ASSET provide rich data and give the researcher an insight into the underlying mechanism of the intervention process. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: By providing a detailed description of self-efficacy strategies ASSET can be used by health care professionals to guide reflective practice and support training programmes.

Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND): process modelling of pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a structured education program on illness beliefs, quality of life and physical activity in people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Individuals attending a diabetes education and self-management for ongoing and newly diagnosed (DESMOND) program in 12 Primary Care Trusts completed questionnaire booklets assessing illness beliefs and quality of life at baseline and 3-month follow-up, metabolic control being assessed through assay of HbA1c. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-six individuals attended the structured self-management education sessions, with 97% and 64% completing baseline and 3-month follow-up questionnaires. At 3 months, individuals were more likely to: understand their diabetes; agree it is a chronic illness; agree it is a serious condition, and that they can affect its course. Individuals achieving a greater reduction in HbA1c over the first 3 months were more likely to agree they could control their diabetes at 3 months (r=0.24; p=0.05), and less likely to agree that diabetes would have a major impact on their day to day life (r=0.35; p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Pilot data indicate the DESMOND program for individuals newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes changes key illness beliefs and that these changes predict quality of life and metabolic control at 3-month follow-up. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Newly diagnosed individuals are open to attending self-management programs and, if the program is theoretically driven, can successfully engage with the true, serious nature of diabetes.

Serious diabetes-specific emotional problems and depression in a Croatian-Dutch-English Survey from the European Depression in Diabetes [EDID] Research Consortium.

It has been hypothesized that coverage of diabetes-specific issues (e.g. coping with complications, incapacity, pain) during psychotherapy may optimize the likelihood of treatment success for depression in patients with diabetes. However, it is still unclear how often depression is confounded by diabetes-specific emotional problems. We aim to determine the levels of diabetes-specific emotional problems in diabetic individuals with high versus low levels of depression in a sample of 539 outpatients with diabetes (202 Dutch, 185 Croatian and 152 English). Subjects completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression and the Problem Areas in Diabetes scales. Percentages of patients with high depression scores were: 39 and 34% (Croatian men and women), 19 and 21% (Dutch men and women), 19 and 39% (English men and women). Moreover, 79% (Croatian), 47% (Dutch) and 41% (English) of the patients with a severe depression score reported to have four or more serious diabetes-specific emotional problems. For patients with low depression scores, these percentages were: 29% (Croatian), 11% (Dutch) and 1% (English). Serious diabetes-specific emotional problems are particularly prevalent in depressed diabetes patients. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to test whether coverage of diabetes-specific issues during psychotherapy can further improve the treatment of depression in diabetes.

Educational and psychosocial programmes for adolescents with diabetes: approaches, outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Diabetes incurs heavy personal and health system costs. Self-management is required if complications are to be avoided. Adolescents face particular challenges as they learn to take responsibility for their diabetes. A systematic review of educational and psychosocial programmes for adolescents with diabetes was undertaken. This aimed to: identify and categorise the types of programmes that have been evaluated; assess the cost-effectiveness of interventions; identify areas where further research is required. Sixty-two papers were identified and subjected to a narrative review. Generic programmes focus on knowledge/skills, psychosocial issues, and behaviour/self-management. They result in modest improvements across a range of outcomes but improvements are often not sustained, suggesting a need for continuous support, possibly integrated into normal care. In-hospital education at diagnosis confers few advantages over home treatment. The greatest returns may be obtained by targeting poorly controlled individuals. Few studies addressed resourcing issues and robust cost-effectiveness appraisals are required to identify interventions that generate the greatest returns on expenditure.