ABSTRACT
This study is aimed at identifying the impact of a team-based train-the-trainer program (TTT-P) to enhance healthcare professional (HCP) skills in patient education during medical rehabilitation. Focusing on patient-reported outcomes, a prospective, sequential two-cohort study was conducted in the fields of psychosomatic and oncological rehabilitation. Two hundred fifteen patients were evaluated before (Cohort 1) and 196 post implementation of TTT-P (Cohort 2). Patients of both cohorts completed validated questionnaires on self-management (heiQ®), general self-efficacy (GSE scale), and quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref) at the beginning, at the end, and at the 6-month follow-up to analyze short- and intermediate-term effects. Analyses were conducted separately for the psychosomatic and oncological setting. Results showed that TTT-P had no impact on patient outcomes in both rehabilitation settings. Patients did report positive outcomes as a result of the whole inpatient rehabilitation programs, though effects at follow-up were mostly small to medium size. Concerning self-management competencies, cancer patients gained less benefit during rehabilitation than psychosomatic patients. In conclusion, TTT-P did not result in measurable improvements at the patient level, likely because of the limited nature of the intervention. However, these populations of rehabilitants took benefit from participating in a multimodal rehabilitation program, of which patient education is one part.
ABSTRACT
Chronic and chronically recurring diseases often cannot be treated causally and usually lead to a considerable impairment in social and occupational participation. In order to deal appropriately with such restrictions, a more comprehensive therapeutic approach is required in the sense of a bio-psychosocial model of disease and health which serves as the basis for modern dermatological rehabilitation. Multimodal, quality-controlled dermatological rehabilitation gives patients with chronic skin diseases a treatment option that goes beyond the primarily symptom-oriented outpatient care provided by office-based physicians and the acute care of inpatient facilities. This paper presents the complex opportunities offered by dermatological rehabilitation. The aim of this paper is to put dermatologists working in the practical field in a position to help their patients with chronic skin diseases to realize their statutory right to participate in society. For this purpose, it will impart the understanding of medical rehabilitation that is necessary so that the dermatologist in charge can advise his or her patient competently, in order to successfully arrange for the corresponding care appropriate to the indication and taking into account personal circumstances and insurance-related requirements.
