Table 3. Essential Elements to Enable Patients' Self-Management of Chronic Diseases

Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers

A self-management toolkit that teaches patients how to:

  • Recognize when a treatment is needed, including any over-the-counter medications.
  • Administer the treatment.
  • Assess their response to the treatment.
  • Make appropriate adjustments without involving the provider.
 
The patient understands how to administer simple diagnostic tests that are currently administered by health professionals (e.g., checking blood sugar levels in the case of diabetes).
The physician has prescribed, in advance, the necessary medications—including dosage adjustments—and has provided specific, preferably written, instructions for making adjustments.

Source: DeMonaco and von Hippel, 2007.94

Page last reviewed October 2014
Internet Citation: Table 3. Essential Elements to Enable Patients' Self-Management of Chronic Diseases: Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers. October 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://archive.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/value/incentives/incenttab3.html