Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

Evidence-level

Evidence-Based (About evidence-level criteria)

Description

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is a 6-week workshop originally developed at Stanford University that has been studied and consistently found to be effective through 20+ years of research. The workshop is designed for people with one or more chronic conditions such as:

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Hypertension
• Lung disease
• Stroke

The Administration for Community Living's Empowering Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities through Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs initiative is one source of funding for this program. The grantees funded from 2012-2023 are charged with developing capacity for, bringing to scale, and sustaining evidence-based self-management education programs that empower older adults and adults with disabilities to better manage their chronic conditions. There have been programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A full database of programs around the country can be found on the Self-Management Resource Center's website.

Services offered

CDSMP is a 6-week workshop with one 2.5 hour interactive sessions per week. Each session is led by a pair of trained, peer facilitators, at least one of whom has a chronic condition. It covers the following:

• Skill-building related to problem solving, dealing with difficult emotions, and communicating effectively with family, friends, and health care professionals.
• Health strategies related to healthy eating, safe exercise, managing pain and fatigue, using medications appropriately, getting a good night's sleep, and more.

Results

In a 2013 national study of the program, CDSMP participants showed significant improvements in the following health measures:

• Communication with their doctors
• Self-reported health
• Exercise
• Fatigue and health distress
• Disability and social role/activity limitations

Additionally, some studies show that participants spend fewer days in the hospital, which can result in healthcare cost savings. The national study also found a $364 net savings rate per person as a result of CDSMP services.

For more information about program results:

Smith et al. (2017). Dissemination of Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) Programs in the United States: Intervention Delivery by Rurality. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 14(6), 638

Findings from the National CDSMP Study, National Council on Aging

CDSME Bibliography, Self-Management Resource Center

Research based on NCOA's National CDSME Database, National Council on Aging

A Meta-Analysis of Health Status, Health Behaviors, and Health Care Utilization Outcomes of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Challenges

Potential barriers to this kind of program implementation include:

• Recruitment and retention of workshop participants and facilitators
• Securing the necessary resources to support program licensing, training, and implementation
• Engaging partners with the capacity to embed programs into routine operations or providing direct payment for program delivery

The National Council on Aging's (NCOA) National Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Resource Center offers a variety of tools and resources to help organizations overcome these barriers. In addition to providing targeted technical assistance, the Best Practices Toolkit: Resources from the Field includes successful strategies across multiple domains compiled from more than 300 resources from partners across the country.

The Roadmap to Community-Integrated Health Care provides tools to develop linkages between state and community-based organizations and the healthcare sector.

Replication

The Self-Management Resource Center provides information on:

• Training for program leaders, including information on cost
• Licensing, including fees
• Small group workshops for people with specific conditions, in-person and online

NCOA's National Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Resource Center offers tools and resources to help implement a CDSMP program, including:

• Publication: Offering Chronic Disease Self-Management Education in Rural Areas
• Profiles and program contact information for Community Living CDSME grantees

Three additional versions of the CDSMP have potential to reach people in rural areas who may not have access to a community-based workshop:

1. The online version of the program, Better Choices, Better Health^®, is available in specific areas where partnerships have been formed to add this venue.
2. Another option is the mailed version of the program, Tool Kit for Active Living with Chronic Conditions, which packages the tools discussed in the CDSMP into a one-time mailing.
3. The third adaption is the Workplace CDSMP, which contains similar content but is rearranged into one-hour segments, two times per week for the workplace.

Contact Information

Binod Suwal, Senior Program Manager
Center for Healthy Aging, National Council on Aging
Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
571.527.3984
binod.suwal@ncoa.org