Institute for Family-Centered Care. Your role in safe medication use. Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors; 1999.

This consumer guide encourages patients to become "part of the health care team" along with their physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, to prevent medication mistakes. The guide was developed in conjunction with the Institute for Family-Centered Care and is based on input solicited from patients, families, and health care professionals. Available in both English and Spanish.

Full text available! Click view guide below.

Cullen KW, Baranowski T, Smith SP. Using goal setting as a strategy for dietary behavior change. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2001 May;101(5):562-566.

This article presents a four-step goal-setting process for promoting healthy food choices that assists dietitians in including the behavior change process in educational programs. The steps are: recognizing a need for change; establishing a goal; adopting a goal-directed activity and self-monitoring it; and self-rewarding goal attainment.

Bodenheimer T, Lorig K, Holman H, Grumbach K. Patient self-management of chronic disease in primary care. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2002 Nov 20;288(19):2469-2475.

This review of the evidence in support of self-management in primary care describes effective interventions as skill building, problem solving and self-efficacy building. These interventions show early indications of improved outcomes and reduced costs for some conditions.

Anderson RM, Funnell MM, Butler PM, Arnold MS, Fitzgerald JT, Feste CC. Patient empowerment: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 1995 Jul;18(7):943-949.

A study demonstrating the effectiveness of patient empowerment interventions to address the psychosocial aspects of living with diabetes, and in improving blood glucose control.

Clark NM, Evans D, Zimmerman BJ, Levison MJ, Mellins RB. Patient and family management of asthma: Theory-based techniques for the clinician. Journal of Asthma. 1994;31(6):427-435. Review.

Discussion of models that support the teaching role of clinicians, including ways that counseling by the health professional can encourage self-regulation and better at-home management of asthma.

Webster PD, Johnson BH
Bethesda, Maryland, USA; Institute for Family-Centered Care; 2000

This practical resource profiles a variety of patient and family advisory councils, their structures, responsibilities, and activities. It provides guidance for creating a new council and sustaining an established one. Sample materials and forms from established councils are included.

Glasgow RE, Davis CL, Funnell MM, Beck A. Implementing practical interventions to support chronic illness self-management. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 2003 Nov;29(11):563-574.

This article describes experiences in implementing self-management across diverse health care settings, including what works and what does not work at multiple levels (patient, office, system).

Michie S, Miles J, Weinman J. Patient-centredness in chronic illness: What is it and does it matter? Patient Education and Counseling. 2003;51(3):197-206.

This review of the published literature on health care communication finds that those interventions that sought to “activate” the patient were more consistently associated with good physical health outcomes than those that only took the patient perspective. Different types of patient-centeredness have different associations with physical health outcomes.

Wykurz G, Kelly D. Developing the role of patients as teachers: Literature review. British Medical Journal. 2002 Oct 12;325(7368):818-821.

Review of publications providing descriptions, evaluations, or research of programs involving patients as teachers in medical education shows that involving patients has important educational benefits for learners, and that patients offer unique qualities that can enhance the acquisition of skills and change attitudes towards patients.

Using patient input in a cycle for performance improvement. Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement. 1995 Feb;21(2):87-96.

This article proposes a systematic method to gather and assess patient input for improvement projects and includes a planning tool for acquiring patient input.