People with chronic disease and the influence of trial and error practices as a self-care strategy: a novel approach
Project Overview
This project will explore the trial and error self-care practices used by members of the public who live with one or more chronic diseases. This information will give health professionals knowledge and understanding as they support those managing chronic conditions. The aim of the project is to educate health professionals as to current self-care practices used by the community and to ensure that trial and error practices are based on the best available evidence. This project is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing as a Sharing Health Care Initiative.
Primary aims:
To analyse the self-care practices of different sections of the community who are managing a chronic illness.
Secondary aims:
To educate health professionals on current self-care practices being exercised by members of the community with chronic conditions.
Participants:
We have been asked by the Department of Health and Ageing to profile 6 different groups namely:
- those who are aged 65+ years;
- aged < 30;
- in the lowest SEIFA quintile*;
- born in a non-English country;
- Carers;
- Veterans.
The 60 Stage 2 participants will be selected from the NWAH cohort study.
The 3,000 Stage 3 participants will be selected randomly.
* SIEFA = Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas
Project Timeline
April - July 2009
Stage 1 - Profiling of six target demographic groups from the NWAH cohort study.
July - September 2009
Stage 2 - Interview 60 participants based on profiles gathered. Transcribe and review interviews.
April - August 2010
Stage 3 - 3,000 randomly selected participants to be interviewed via (CATI) computer assisted telephone interviewing.
November 2010 - January 2011
Based on results of interviews a discussion paper will be drafted and workshops with main stakeholders held in each capital city.
April 2011
Publications and reports submitted.
Research Team
Associate Professor Kay Price (Chief Investigator) |
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RN, BN, Dip T (Nurse Education), MN, PhD
Associate Professor Kay Price is a Senior Lecturer at the University of South Australia in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr Price is an experienced and active qualitative researcher. Since being awarded her PhD in 2001, Dr. Price has attracted over $2 million in research support from external and nationally competitive recognised granting bodies (ARC (x 2 Discovery projects) and a NHMRC project grant) both independently and collaboratively. In all of these funded projects she has been a Chief Investigator, contributing significantly to the theoretical development, planning and conduct of the research. Dr Price, as a Chief Investigator, will have the prime responsibility for the day-to-day management of this project. |
 Associate Professor Kay Price |
Associate Professor Anne Taylor (Chief Investigator) |
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BA, MPH, PhD
Associate Professor Anne Taylor (manager of the Population Research and Outcome Studies Unit) is a qualified epidemiologist with over twenty years experience in the field of chronic disease, particularly the epidemiological and statistical analysis of population research. She has considerable experience in the efficacy of different approaches to population studies; especially telephone survey methodologies, population surveillance, and cohort recruitment and maintenance, with expertise in both the population perspective of chronic disease and risk factor monitoring and surveillance. As a chief investigator, Dr Taylor will be in involved in all facets of the study, but especially in the analyses and interpretation of the data from the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS), a cohort study collecting biomedical, biographical and health service use data. Using experienced gained from a wide range of different research projects over many years, most with a primary focus on risk factor and chronic disease epidemiology, Dr Taylor will oversee the quantitative, analytical and statistical aspects of the study and the relevance for the qualitative component of the study. |
 Associate Professor Anne Taylor |
Associate Professor Debbie Kralik (Chief Investigator) |
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RN, Dip App Sc, BN, MN, PhD
Dr Debbie Kralik is Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of South Australia and the General Manager of the Strategy & Research department at the Royal District Nursing Service, South Australia. Dr Kralik has vast experience in community based research with numerous publications on action research methodology and substantive areas of community health practice. Her work focuses on questions raised in practice when providing community healthcare services to adults. Dr Kralik and her team have completed more than 75 research projects addressing a diverse range of questions pertinent to community care. Her particular research focus is care of people with co-morbid chronic illness. Dr Kralik will have an integral role in Stages 2 & 3 of the research. She will assist with analysing interview transcripts and in constructing the CATI survey. Dr Kralik will also conduct a stakeholder workshop. She will participate in all research meetings and contribute to all project deliverables. |
 Associate Professor Debbie Kralik |
Dr Anne van Loon |
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RN, Dip App Sc (CHN), BN, MN (Research), PhD
Dr Antonia (Anne) van Loon is a Senior Research Fellow with the RDNS Strategy and Research Unit where she manages research projects, commissioned projects and provides consultancy services to community, government and non-government organisations. Dr van Loon, will conduct the one-on-one interviews for this project and contribute to the research and analysis of the information gained. |
 Dr Anne van Loon |
Rhiannon Pilkington (Research Assistant) |
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BPsyc (Hons)
Rhiannon Pilkington is a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) graduate and currently studying Public Health at Adelaide University. She has joined the team for Stage 3 having worked for the Population Research and Outcome Studies Unit (PROS) in SA Health for the previous year. Her experience thus far has involved statistical analysis of chronic disease and health behaviour related data, preparing ad hoc and routine statistical reports, as well as playing an active role in survey development. |
 Rhiannon Pilkington |
Heather Eaton (Research Assistant) |
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Dip Th, BA, BA Hons, Grad Dip App Sc (LIM)
Heather Eaton currently works for UniSA as a Research Assistant. Heather has worked in Higher Education for 12 years in the areas of management, research and teaching. Her fields of interest are information management, communication, professional writing, online learning and training in online research and information literacy. Heather is assisting Associate Professor Kay Price and the academic team by providing information organisation, research, and organisational support. |
 Heather Eaton |
Publications
Stage 1
Demographic Profile Reports
People with chronic disease and the influence of trial and error practices as a self-care strategy:
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Report 1: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older.
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Report 2: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people in the lowest SEIFA quintile with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 3: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 30 years and under.
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Report 4: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people born in a non-English speaking country with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 5: Socio demographic and clinical profile of carers with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 6: Socio demographic and clinical profile of veterans aged 55+ with at least one chronic condition.
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Summary document incorporating the comparison of statistically significant findings from reports 1-6.
Demographic sub reports of those over 65 years of age
People with chronic diseases and the influence of trial and error practices as a self-care strategy: a novel approach:
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Report 1A: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without arthritis
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Report 1B: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with arthritis, compared to people age 65 years and over with no chronic conditions.
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Report 1C: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without diabetes.
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Report 1D: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with diabetes, compared to people age 65 years and over with no chronic conditions.
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Report 1E: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without asthma.
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Report 1F: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with asthma, compared to people age 65 years and over with no chronic conditions
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Report 1G: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without COPD.
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Report 1H: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with COPD compared with those with no chronic conditions.
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Report 1I: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without CVD.
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Report 1J: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with and without a mental health condition.
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Report 1K: Socio demographic and clinical profile of people aged 65 years and older with a mental health condition, compared to people age 65 years and over with no chronic conditions.
Stage 2
People with chronic disease and the influence of trial and error practices as a self-care strategy: a novel approach:
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Summary of qualitative data: Stage 2
Stage 3
A novel approach to self-care: Results from an Australia-wide survey:
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Report 1A: Profile of people aged 65+ with and without a chronic condition.
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Report 1B: Profile of people living in the lowest SEIFA quintile with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 1C: Profile of people aged 30 and under with and without a chronic condition.
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Report 1D: Profile of people born in a non-English speaking country with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 1E: Profile of carers with at least one chronic condition.
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Report 1F: Profile of veterans aged 55+ with at least one chronic condition.
Further Reading
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Chronic disease in Australia's younger generation: promoting a healthier future.
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A novel approach to influencing self-care: a national representative survey: Medicine use and knowledge, information gathering and advice.
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Price K 2011 'Do you experiment with your asthma medication', Asthma Update, Asthma Australia, iss. 43, p12
Contact Us
For more information about this study, please contact:
Associate Professor Kay Price
- Phone: 08 8302 2721
- Fax: 08 8302 2168
- Email: Kay.Price@unisa.edu.au
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Photo used with permission of the Australian Research Council Discovery Grant: Understanding transition with people living with Chronic Illness.