Self-Management Techniques in IBD

Irrespective of the strength of a patient’s inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care team, an individual will still likely spend less than 3 h per year obtaining care or in communication with their provider(s) and the rest of the time “self-managing.” In this chapter, we (1) define self-management and discuss the unique features of IBD which make self-management particularly challenging, (2) describe the role of self-management support on health outcomes in IBD, and (3) discuss the importance of social-cognitive theory in the development and implementation of self-management support for IBD, including the types of techniques, constructs, and sample programs which fit within this model.Self-management support programs are typically problem based, meaning they identify and promote the development of skills that solve a critical aspect of disease management. Tools or programs which support skills such as improving medication adherence, increasing disease knowledge, implementing decision-support tools, or optimizing communication between patients and providers are all problem-focused ways in which IBD self-management can be readily supported. While traditional self-management programs targeting a single problem can be quite effective, self-management support initiatives may be better suited to approaches which integrate the complex interactions between the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that accompany IBD (patient modifiers) and the physical and environmental demands the disease presents (disease modifiers). Social-cognitive theory lends itself well to this problem.