The contribution of social networks to the health and
self-management of patients with long-term conditions: a longitudinal study
The contribution of social networks to the health and
self-management of patients with long-term conditions: a longitudinal study
Aim: to determine how the social networks of people with long-term conditions (diabetes and heart disease) are associated with health-related outcomes and changes in outcomes over time.
Methods: patients with chronic heart disease (CHD) or diabetes (n = 300) randomly selected from the disease registers of 19 GP practices in the North West of England. Data on personal social networks collected using a postal questionnaire, alongside face-to-face interviewing. Follow-up at 12 months via postal questionnaire using a self-report grid for network members identified at baseline.
Analysis: multiple regression analysis of relationships between health status, self-management and health-economics outcomes, and characteristics of patients' social networks.
Results: findings indicated that: (1) social involvement with a wider variety of people and groups supports personal self-management and physical and mental well-being; (2) support work undertaken by personal networks expands in accordance with health needs helping people to cope with their condition; (3) network support substitutes for formal care and can produce substantial saving in traditional health service utilisation costs. Health service costs were significantly (p<0.01) reduced for patients receiving greater levels of illness work through their networks.
Conclusions: support for self-management which achieves desirable policy outcomes should be construed less as an individualised set of actions and behaviour and more as a social network phenomenon. This study shows the need for a greater focus on harnessing and sustaining the capacity of networks and the importance of social involvement with community groups and resources for producing a more desirable and cost-effective way of supporting long term illness management
Reeves, David
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Blickem, Christian
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Vassilev, I.
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Brooks, H.
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Kennedy, Anne
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Richardson, Gerry
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Rogers, Anne
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2 June 2014
Reeves, David
4d9f4b50-445c-4257-81fe-4d6fa73a9891
Blickem, Christian
cc3228ac-f56e-4dca-9aae-cbb6bfac4fb3
Vassilev, I.
d76a5531-4ddc-4eb2-909b-a2a1068f05f3
Brooks, H.
51ab606b-017f-40a0-9dd1-552ff4d174fe
Kennedy, Anne
e059c1c7-d6d0-41c8-95e1-95e5273b07f8
Richardson, Gerry
95b61844-048d-4876-a38a-5df8b22eb0c8
Rogers, Anne
105eeebc-1899-4850-950e-385a51738eb7
Reeves, David, Blickem, Christian, Vassilev, I., Brooks, H., Kennedy, Anne, Richardson, Gerry and Rogers, Anne
(2014)
The contribution of social networks to the health and
self-management of patients with long-term conditions: a longitudinal study.
PLoS ONE, 9 (6), [e98340].
(doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098340).
Abstract
Aim: to determine how the social networks of people with long-term conditions (diabetes and heart disease) are associated with health-related outcomes and changes in outcomes over time.
Methods: patients with chronic heart disease (CHD) or diabetes (n = 300) randomly selected from the disease registers of 19 GP practices in the North West of England. Data on personal social networks collected using a postal questionnaire, alongside face-to-face interviewing. Follow-up at 12 months via postal questionnaire using a self-report grid for network members identified at baseline.
Analysis: multiple regression analysis of relationships between health status, self-management and health-economics outcomes, and characteristics of patients' social networks.
Results: findings indicated that: (1) social involvement with a wider variety of people and groups supports personal self-management and physical and mental well-being; (2) support work undertaken by personal networks expands in accordance with health needs helping people to cope with their condition; (3) network support substitutes for formal care and can produce substantial saving in traditional health service utilisation costs. Health service costs were significantly (p<0.01) reduced for patients receiving greater levels of illness work through their networks.
Conclusions: support for self-management which achieves desirable policy outcomes should be construed less as an individualised set of actions and behaviour and more as a social network phenomenon. This study shows the need for a greater focus on harnessing and sustaining the capacity of networks and the importance of social involvement with community groups and resources for producing a more desirable and cost-effective way of supporting long term illness management
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Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 June 2014
Published date: 2 June 2014
Organisations:
Faculty of Health Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 365525
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/365525
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: d62dda2c-fe36-4811-9297-7eedfea2ebd2
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Date deposited: 09 Jun 2014 12:42
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:47
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Contributors
Author:
David Reeves
Author:
Christian Blickem
Author:
H. Brooks
Author:
Anne Kennedy
Author:
Gerry Richardson
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