RESUMO
Goals are presented in the chronic illness literature as effective strategies to help people adopt self-management behaviors; however, not much is known about the types and characteristics of individuals' goals. The purpose of this study was to examine goal setting among people with epilepsy who participated in the WebEase program. WebEase is an Internet-based, theory-driven, self-management program with modules on medication adherence, stress management, and sleep habits. Participants had the opportunity to create and evaluate goals over the course of 6 weeks, with 2 weeks for each module. The goals were analyzed using three dimensions: content, specificity, and proximity. Most participants in the sample wrote goals for each week of the program. Several main content areas emerged within the modules. Goal quality, measured by specificity and proximity, did not differ according to readiness for behavior change. Readiness to change did not differ between those who wrote a goal and those who did not. The diversity of goal content and quality indicates that individuals should be supported in goal development and encouraged to set their own self-management goals, regardless of their readiness for behavior change.
Assuntos
Epilepsia/prevenção & controle , Objetivos , Internet/organização & administração , Participação do Paciente , Autocuidado , Terapia Assistida por Computador/organização & administração , Adulto , Instrução por Computador/métodos , Epilepsia/etiologia , Epilepsia/psicologia , Feminino , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , Adesão à Medicação/psicologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pesquisa em Avaliação de Enfermagem , Planejamento de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto/organização & administração , Participação do Paciente/métodos , Participação do Paciente/psicologia , Projetos Piloto , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Autocuidado/métodos , Autocuidado/psicologia , Privação do Sono/complicações , Privação do Sono/prevenção & controle , Estresse Psicológico/complicações , Estresse Psicológico/prevenção & controleRESUMO
People with epilepsy have various education needs and must adopt many self-management behaviors in order to control their condition. This study evaluates WebEase, an Internet-based, theory-driven, self-management program for adults with epilepsy. Thirty-five participants took part in a 6-week pilot implementation of WebEase. The main components of WebEase are My Log, a behavioral journal, and the Medication, Stress and Sleep Modules, which provide tailored information and feedback designed to prompt participants to assess their status with self-management behaviors, think about their behaviors and make a goal. In this article, we discuss the results of the feasibility, acceptability and usability assessments and the behavioral outcomes. The process results indicate that theoretical components that served as the program framework were successfully integrated into the program and that participants viewed WebEase as relevant, acceptable and easy to use. Additionally, participants showed some improvement in epilepsy self-management, adherence, sleep quality, self-efficacy and social support following the program. The initial results are encouraging and continued development of WebEase has the potential to facilitate education and self-management strategies among people with epilepsy.
