Stanford Small-Group Self-Management Programs in English
In the past 30+ years, the Stanford Patient Education Research Center (originally the Stanford Arthritis Center Education Office) has developed, tested, and evaluated self-management programs for people with chronic health problems. Our first program was the Arthritis Self-Managment Course (also known as the Arthritis Self-Help Course), which became the prototype for all our self-managment programs. All of our programs are designed to help people gain self-confidence in their ability to control their symptoms and how their health problems affect their lives. Our small-group workshops are generally 6 weeks long, meeting once a week for about 2 hours, which are led by a pair of peer leaders with health problems of their own. The meetings are highly interactive, focusing on building skills, sharing experiences and support.
Once we develop a program, we evaluate its effectiveness through a research study, which is 1-4 years in length. It is ONLY after a program has been shown to be safe and effective through these trials that we release it for dissemination.
In addition to programs developed at tested at Stanford, a Chronic Pain Self-Management Program was developed and tested in Canada with close collaboration with Stanford. Also, a Cancer: Thriving and Surviving program for cancers servivors was developed in the UK and evaluated in the UK and the USA.. Stanford holds the copyright for the CPSMPand CTS, and the programs are currently available.
The Arthritis Self-Management Program
Our first patient education program was the Arthritis Self-Management Program. It is the prototype for all our subsequent programs. The program is offered in the community for 2 hours per week, once a week for 6 weeks. Groups are limited to 16 in order to facilitate sharing and problem-solving. The program is offered throughout the U.S. by the Arthritis Foundation as the Arthritis Self-Help Course. It has also been offered in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Scandinavia and St. Lucia.
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program is a workshop where people with different chronic diseases attend together. It teaches the skills needed in the day-to-day management of treatment and to maintain and/or increase life’s activities. The Program has been adopted by such groups as the National Health Service of England, the Diabetes Society of British Columbia in Canada, Kaiser Permanente, and Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. It has been translated into Arabic, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Norwegian, Somali, Bengali, Dutch, German, Hindi, Korean, Welsh, and Italian. For information about current translations of the companion book, contact Bull Publishing.
The Diabetes Self-Management Program
The Diabetes Self-Management Program is a 6-week workshop for people with type 2 diabetes. It teaches the skills needed in the day-to-day management of diabetes and to maintain and/or increase life’s activities. Originally developed and evaluated in Spanish, it was translated into English and tested in a randomized, controlled study. It is offered extensively throughout the United States. Programs are usually held in community settings such as senior centers, churches, libraries, and hospitals.
The Positive Self-Management Program
The Positive Self-Management Program is a 7-week workshop for people with HIV. Programs are usually held in community settings such as senior centers, churches, libraries, and hospitals. Workshops are facilitated by two trained leaders, one or both of whom are peers with HIV. Subjects covered during the small group meetings include: how to best integrate medication regimens into daily life, techniques for dealing with difficult emotions, exercise, nutrition, communication skills, evaluating symptoms and treatments.
The Chronic Pain Self-Management Program
This 6-week workshop was adapted, expanded, and evaluated by colleagues in Canada, with close collaboration with Stanford. It is designed for individuals who experience chronic pain of any type. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia and England.
The Cancer: Thriving and Surviving Program
This 6-week workshop was originally develolped in the UK, and evaluated by colleagues in England and the USA, with collaboration with Stanford. Released in 2015, it is designed for individuals who have survived cancer.
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