Tools
Project to Review and Improve Study Materials (PRISM): Readability Toolkit
The PRISM Readability Toolkit is a compendium of strategies, real-world examples, and related resources to aid researchers and others in the health care setting create print materials that an audience (such as a potential study participant or patient) can easily understand.
Health Improvement Skills Center
HISC offers six free, online learning modules that guide learners in addressing improvement gaps in care. Upon completion of the modules learners are able to analyze current care, design a test of change in practice, and plan to disseminate and sustain successful results. CME is available for a $10 fee.
Assessment of Primary Care Resources and Supports for Chronic Disease Self-Management (PCRS)
This survey, developed by Ed Fisher and colleagues as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded Diabetes Initiative, serves to offer providers with an assessment tool to identify ways to improve their self-management programs. The survey and its recommendations are consistent with the Chronic Care Model and are specifically related to the management of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
How to Conduct a "Walk-About" from the Patient and Family Perspective
Conducting a "walk-about" of a facility with patient and family advisors helps staff gain a perspective of how patients and their families experience care. It is a useful activity to complete before planning and implementing changes related to self-management support in a clinic or other setting. If staff have little experience working with patient and family advisors, conducting a walk-about is a great beginning activity.
Patients and Families as Advisors: A Checklist for Attitudes
This tool is designed to help clinicians and staff assess their readiness to work with patients and families as advisors to improve services. It can be used in group educational activities as well as by an individual to reflect on practice and attitude.
Wearing New Glasses
Wearing New Glasses is an activity that can be conducted to capture a variety of perspectives from patient and family advisors and staff on ways to improve a clinic or other setting to strengthen patient- and family-centered care and collaborative self-management support. It is helpful to use before planning and implementing changes.
Group Visit Starter Kit
The Group Visit Starter Kit, developed by the Improving Chronic Illness Care program in Seattle, Washington, describes the Cooperative Health Care Clinic (CHCC) model developed by Kaiser Colorado staff. Information used to develop the Group Visit Starter Kit came from Collene Hawes of the Group Health Cooperative, Kate Lorig of the Stanford Patient Education Research Center and John Scott of Kaiser-Colorado. Portions of this work first appeared in or are derived or adapted from the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.
The Group Visit Starter Kit provides information and resources that will help clinicians and others plan and run a group visit for patients with chronic conditions.
Self Management Support
This form, developed at Improving Chronic Illness Care program in Seattle Washington, helps people with chronic conditions develop a personal plan to learn a new behavior, such as starting a program to increase their physical activity.
The Healthy Changes Plan form may be used by patients either at home or during their office visit to plan their self-management goals for managing their chronic condition.
Conviction Confidence Ruler
This tool helps patients and providers discuss and rate two issues related to goal setting and healthy changes – how convinced a patient is that the change is necessary or important and how confident they are in their ability to achieve the goal.
Action Plan
This short form helps people with chronic conditions develop and record changes they plan to make or goals they want to achieve. The form can be used during a health care visit and then copied so the patient has a copy to take home. It can also be included in their chart to support follow-up. An example of a completed form is included.