Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Karrianna Iseminger
Abstract
Background Chronic health conditions often lead to decreased engagement in valued occupations, habits, roles, and routines secondary to the effects of the diagnosis (Lorig et al., 2020). This community project aims to explore occupation-based intervention approaches to assist adults in self-managing their chronic conditions. Additionally, the project aims to fill the gap in healthcare to improve healthcare professionals’ collaboration to improve clients’ health outcomes. Occupational therapy’s role in health management may include developing habits and management strategies for nutrition, physical activity, medications, stress and coping, and improving social skills for problem solving and communication. A literature review and informal interviews was used to identify the need within a rural community to develop and implement a chronic condition self-management program.
Project Description The results of the literature review were utilized to form interventions for program development. The program was developed to educate clients with chronic conditions on a variety of self-management strategies. The efforts of the program aimed towards lifestyle adaptation through habit change and skill development to effectively manage chronic health conditions. The final product contains supplemental materials in module format for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) to use when assisting this population.
Results Program implementation has begun in a rural community hospital where the program has been completed with thirteen patients. When measuring satisfaction with managing chronic conditions at the beginning of the program and at the end of the program, eleven of thirteen of the patients self-reported an increased satisfaction number following the completion of the program. All thirteen of the patients reported they had learned at least one new health related strategies for self-management.
Discussion Due to small patient participation and limited time, the author is unable to fully measure program effectiveness at this time. However, the program has shown to have positive effects on the majority of the patients who have completed the program. Continuation of the program within clinical practice and future studies will determine the impact the program has on individuals with chronic condition(s) in rural communities.
Recommended Citation
Tucker, Makayla Marie, "An Occupational Therapy Approach To Chronic Condition Self-Management" (2024). Occupational Therapy Capstones. 594.
https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/594