Self-Management Screening

Abstract

The Self Management Screening (SeMaS) instrument is a concise screening instrument designed to assess a patient’s capacity for self-management and to determine the most appropriate form of support or intervention required. Comprising 27 items, the scale evaluates multiple dimensions crucial for effective patient autonomy, including psychological factors, social support, and specific skills. The results are presented as a visual patient profile, often displayed graphically using circles, where the size of the circles correlates directly with the patient’s overall capacity for successful self-management. This tool is intended for use during clinical consultations, facilitating informed discussion between the patient and the healthcare provider.

Keywords

Self-management, chronic care, screening instrument, patient profiling, self-efficacy, coping style, primary care, psychological assessment.

Authors

Eikelenboom N, van Lieshout J, Wensing M, Smeele I, Jacobs AE (2013)

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Self Management Screening instrument is clinical utility in primary care and chronic disease management. It is designed to quickly ascertain whether a patient possesses the necessary resources and skills to engage effectively in their own care, which is foundational to successful long-term health outcomes. By generating a multi-faceted patient profile, the SeMaS helps healthcare professionals move beyond a generalized assessment to identify specific areas of weakness or strength.

This profiling allows for the tailoring of subsequent management strategies. For instance, if the profile indicates low self-efficacy or significant disease burden, the healthcare provider can immediately focus the consultation on motivational interviewing or specific skill-building exercises. Crucially, the instrument is based exclusively on the patient’s own responses, ensuring that the intervention strategy is grounded in the patient’s subjective experience rather than the caregiver’s external assessment.

Construct

The SeMaS instrument is a multidimensional construct that operationalizes self-management ability across eight distinct, yet interrelated, domains. The underlying theoretical framework posits that effective self-management is not merely a single skill but a complex interplay of psychological resilience, environmental support, cognitive style, and practical skills.

The core constructs measured include affective states (anxiety and depression), cognitive style (control orientation, or locus of control), behavioral readiness (self-efficacy and coping style), and external resources (social support). By integrating these diverse components, the SeMaS provides a holistic view of the patient’s capacity to handle the demands of their illness and participate actively in treatment decisions.

Validity

Specific psychometric data regarding construct, criterion, and concurrent validity were not provided in the source documentation. However, given its application in clinical settings and its comprehensive assessment of established psychological domains (such as self-efficacy and anxiety), it is presumed that the scale has been developed based on existing validated measures related to chronic illness self-management. Further academic literature should be consulted for detailed validation studies supporting the SeMaS.

Reliability

Information regarding the internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability of the 27-item Self Management Screening instrument was not detailed in the provided source material. Reliability testing is essential to ensure that the instrument consistently measures the constructs over time and across different patient populations. Users are advised to seek out original publication papers by Eikelenboom et al. (2013) for specific reliability coefficients.

Factor Analysis

The specific results of any exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis used to establish the underlying structure of the 27 items were not included in the source content. The instrument clearly measures eight distinct aspects, suggesting that the items likely load onto multiple factors corresponding to these identified domains (disease burden, control orientation, self-efficacy, social support, coping style, anxiety, depression, and skills).

Instrument

Test Type: Screening Instrument

Format: Questionnaire/Self-Report Inventory

Language Available: Original development was in Dutch (as indicated by the source content).

Population Group: Adults and Elderly (Volwassenen, Ouderen)

Age Group: Typically utilized with adult populations managing chronic conditions.

Population Details: Patients facing challenges related to chronic disease and requiring assessment of their capacity for self-management.

Test Methodology: 27 self-report items resulting in a graphical patient profile (displayed as circles) used for discussion during clinical consultations. The original PDF explanation form can be downloaded here: Toelichtingsformulier (Explanation Form).

Keywords

Chronic disease management, patient assessment, psychological screening, health behavior, locus of control, coping mechanisms, primary care support, self-efficacy.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The instrument was published or introduced in 2013 by Eikelenboom N, van Lieshout J, Wensing M, Smeele I, and Jacobs AE. Specific details regarding licensing fees or formal permissions required for clinical use were not available in the provided source content.

Reference’s

Eikelenboom N, van Lieshout J, Wensing M, Smeele I, Jacobs AE (2013). Self Management Screening Instrument. Specific publication details (journal, volume) were not provided in the source entry.

The supporting documentation (Toelichtingsformulier) for the instrument is available as a PDF: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/instrumenten/SeMaS-form.pdf.

Items of the Self Management Screening

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The Self Management Screening instrument consists of 27 items covering the following eight aspects:

• belasting van de ziekte
• beheersingsoriëntatie
• eigen effectiviteit
• sociale steun
• copingstijl
• angst
• depressie
• vaardigheden (computer, groep en zelfverzorging)