Imperial College London SCARU Delegation Visit to Malaysia

This brief report outlines the purpose and outcome of SCARU delegation visit to Malaysia. The SCARU delegation consisted of Dr David Webber (President, International Self-Care Foundation) and Dr Austen El-Osta (Director, Self-Care Academic Research Unit). The visit was kindly supported by the British High Commission (BHC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia under the auspices of BHC Science & Innovation Officer Ms Poorani Krishnan

A brief history of self-care

A brief history of self-car

Who self‐cares wins: a global perspective on men and self-care

In this report, ‘men’s health’ is used as shorthand for ‘the health and wellbeing of men and boys’. The term ‘health practice’ is preferred to the more commonly-used concept of ‘health behaviour’. In many ways, the terms are synonymous but ‘health practice’ suggests that what people ‘do’ is not simply a matter of individual decision but is also influenced by a range of wider social, economic and cultural factors.1 Comparisons between men’s health and women’s health should not be read as meaning that women’s health is unproblematic or that bringing men’s outcomes into line with women’s would be sufficient. That is far from the case – women’s health also needs significant attention. But because the differences in male and female health are only to a small degree inevitable (less than 1-2 years of the life expectancy ‘gap’ is believed to be genetically determined)2, they are one useful indicator of where action is needed. A limitation of this report is that it is based on evidence published in English and focused primarily on the Global North which covers about one-quarter of the world’s population and includes the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe. Information relevant to the Global South (broadly including Africa, Latin America, and the developing countries in Asia), has been included wherever possible, however. All figures cited have been rounded for the purposes of clarity

Self-care competency framework. Volume 1: global competency standards for health and care workers to support people’s self-care

The standards define 10 key competencies for health and care workers to support self-care in their clinical practice as well as the specific, measurable behaviours that demonstrate those competencies, focusing on people-centredness; decision-making; effective communication; collaboration; evidence-informed practice, and personal conduct

Self-care competency framework. Volume 2: knowledge guide for health and care workers to support people’s self-care

The knowledge guide is the second publication in the Self-care competency framework to support health and care workers. This describes how health and care workers can apply each of the 10 competency standards in their work, detailing the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes that underpin the required behaviours

Self-care competency framework. Volume 3: curriculum guide for health and care workers to support people’s self-care

The curriculum guide is the third publication in the Self-care competency framework to support health and care workers. It is a resource for educational institutions and curriculum developers to develop competency-based education and training for health and care workers

Characterising extant technology related barriers & enablers for streamlined delivery of BP@home in North Central London: Report for NCL LTC Clinical Network

Report objectives: This report summarises the key findings of a place-based evaluation to identify barriers and enablers to the streamlined use of digital tools to support successful implementation of BP@home in North Central London (NCL). Specifically, we characterised the IT landscape in NCL, investigated the views and experiences of HCPs regarding the use of place-based IT solutions and processes, and synthesised a list of evidence-based recommendations for the consideration of NCL leadership team. Methods: We used a mixed methods research approach and six phases of investigation to address these aims, including desktop research, personal interviews and focus groups, action research, data analysis, synthesis and reporting. Results: The evaluation showed that there was a lack of standardisation across IT systems, internal processes and templates in PCNs in NCL, leading to challenges in implementing and using digital tools to support BP@home. These challenges were not unique to NCL. AccurX and the locally created NCL template are the most widely used IT tools to support the program in NCL. Other digital platforms being tested in NCL include Suvera, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Other digital tools, such as Omron Connect, could be considered to support management of hypertension and other chronic conditions. HCPs faced challenges with patient engagement, data quality, IT system integration and resource allocation, but generally felt that the current approach works. Basic requirements for the use and adoption of IT tools and systems include adequate resources, stakeholder engagement, user-friendly interfaces, and interoperability between different systems. We proposed 16 actionable insights and recommendations that could be implemented to help improve the delivery of BP@home in NCL. These include standardising IT systems, improving patient engagement, providing adequate training and support, and promoting the benefits of remote monitoring. Conclusion: On balance, we recommend that NCL continues to deliver BP@home using the current standard IT offer that facilitates asynchronous engagement with patients (i.e., AccurX). Embedding a quality improvement approach to identify mechanisms to continually improve the BP@home offer in NCL is recommended. Clinical leadership could also review the evaluation findings of alternative tools currently being tested locally (e.g., pilot using Suvera across one PCN) to drive evidence-based commissioning decision as the BP@home initiative becomes even more embedded in routine general practice

Sexual & reproductive health self-care measurement tool

The Sexual and Reproductive Health Self-Care Measurement Tool aims to provide a global standard approach to practical and accurate measurement of sexual and reproductive (SRH) self-care interventions, with a focus on three specific interventions: self-injectable hormonal contraception, HIV self-testing, and self-managed abortion. Led by the SCTG’s Evidence and Learning Working Group (ELWG), the SRH Self-Care Measurement Tool was developed through a consensus-driven process by a group of global experts, including academics, implementers, donors, and intergovernmental bodies, with the goal of identifying a minimum set of priority indicators for each of these self-care interventions

Empowering self-care: A handbook for pharmacists

Supporting and empowering individuals to responsibly engage in self-care is an important part of pharmacists’ daily practice around the world. Self-care spans the whole wellness spectrum, from disease prevention to the management of symptoms and common ailments. It also encompasses interventions ranging from advice on non-prescription medicines and medical devices (often described as “over the counter”) to education on healthy diets, hygiene and mindfulness practices.1 The ability to engage in self-care empowers individuals to act on their own health and well-being, and it encourages the inclusion of their input and specific needs when making healthcare decisions. Self-care empowers people and societies to transform health. Moreover, to promote health equity, health literacy is needed, and there is significant room for improvement and for greater research in this field. Self-care has been conceptualised through internationally recognised frameworks.2 The Self-Care Matrix is a widely accessible framework that conveys the concept of the “totality” of self-care by highlighting the inter-relationships between four cardinal dimensions of self-care. These dimensions are: 1. Person-centred self-care activities; 2. Self-care behaviours; 3. Self-care in the context of resource utilisation; and 4. The prevailing environment as a key enabler of self-care practice. Self-care is an important contributor to universal health coverage (UHC) through savings in healthcare expenditure and the reallocation of resources by means of reduced use and pressure on healthcare systems. For example, patient education and assessment conducted by pharmacists in addition to supporting the informed choice of non-prescription medicines could relieve the burden placed on healthcare systems, such as in primary care facilities or emergency departments, from patients seeking consultation for minor ailments, and lessen the reliance on prescription-only medicines