Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.

<h4>Background</h4>The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Self-management, which enables patients to better manage their health, presents a potentially-scalable means of mitigating the growing burden of NCDs in LMICs. Tho...

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Main Authors: Jason Hearn, Isaac Ssinabulya, Jeremy I Schwartz, Ann R Akiteng, Heather J Ross, Joseph A Cafazzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2019-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219141&type=printable
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author Jason Hearn
Isaac Ssinabulya
Jeremy I Schwartz
Ann R Akiteng
Heather J Ross
Joseph A Cafazzo
author_facet Jason Hearn
Isaac Ssinabulya
Jeremy I Schwartz
Ann R Akiteng
Heather J Ross
Joseph A Cafazzo
author_sort Jason Hearn
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Self-management, which enables patients to better manage their health, presents a potentially-scalable means of mitigating the growing burden of NCDs in LMICs. Though the effectiveness of self-management interventions in high-income countries is well-documented, the use of these strategies in LMICs has yet to be thoroughly summarized.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the nature and effectiveness of past interventions that have enabled the self-management of NCDs in LMICs.<h4>Methods</h4>Using the scoping review methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, PubMed was searched for relevant articles published between January 2007 and December 2018. The implemented search strategy comprised three major themes: self-management, NCDs and LMICs.<h4>Results</h4>Thirty-six original research articles were selected for inclusion. The selected studies largely focused on the self-management of diabetes (N = 21), hypertension (N = 7) and heart failure (N = 5). Most interventions involved the use of short message service (SMS, N = 17) or phone calls (N = 12), while others incorporated educational sessions (N = 10) or the deployment of medical devices (N = 4). The interventions were generally effective and often led to improvements in physiologic indicators, patient self-care and/or patient quality of life. However, the studies emphasized results in small populations, with little indication of future scaling of the intervention. Furthermore, the results indicate a need for further research into the self-management of cardiovascular diseases, as well as for the co-management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Self-management appears to be an effective means of improving health outcomes in LMICs. Future strategies should include patients and clinicians in all stages of design and development, allowing for a focus on long-term sustainability, scalability and interoperability of the intervention in the target setting.
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spelling doaj-art-c64544c5b9e74331acd6e411b72764732025-02-05T05:33:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01147e021914110.1371/journal.pone.0219141Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.Jason HearnIsaac SsinabulyaJeremy I SchwartzAnn R AkitengHeather J RossJoseph A Cafazzo<h4>Background</h4>The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Self-management, which enables patients to better manage their health, presents a potentially-scalable means of mitigating the growing burden of NCDs in LMICs. Though the effectiveness of self-management interventions in high-income countries is well-documented, the use of these strategies in LMICs has yet to be thoroughly summarized.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the nature and effectiveness of past interventions that have enabled the self-management of NCDs in LMICs.<h4>Methods</h4>Using the scoping review methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, PubMed was searched for relevant articles published between January 2007 and December 2018. The implemented search strategy comprised three major themes: self-management, NCDs and LMICs.<h4>Results</h4>Thirty-six original research articles were selected for inclusion. The selected studies largely focused on the self-management of diabetes (N = 21), hypertension (N = 7) and heart failure (N = 5). Most interventions involved the use of short message service (SMS, N = 17) or phone calls (N = 12), while others incorporated educational sessions (N = 10) or the deployment of medical devices (N = 4). The interventions were generally effective and often led to improvements in physiologic indicators, patient self-care and/or patient quality of life. However, the studies emphasized results in small populations, with little indication of future scaling of the intervention. Furthermore, the results indicate a need for further research into the self-management of cardiovascular diseases, as well as for the co-management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Self-management appears to be an effective means of improving health outcomes in LMICs. Future strategies should include patients and clinicians in all stages of design and development, allowing for a focus on long-term sustainability, scalability and interoperability of the intervention in the target setting.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219141&type=printable
spellingShingle Jason Hearn
Isaac Ssinabulya
Jeremy I Schwartz
Ann R Akiteng
Heather J Ross
Joseph A Cafazzo
Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
PLoS ONE
title Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
title_full Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
title_fullStr Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
title_full_unstemmed Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
title_short Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.
title_sort self management of non communicable diseases in low and middle income countries a scoping review
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219141&type=printable
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AT annrakiteng selfmanagementofnoncommunicablediseasesinlowandmiddleincomecountriesascopingreview
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