In-country activities
Moldova | Testing Chronic Disease Self-Management as a way empowering patients and improving their quality of life in rural areas
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s Health Life Project aims to reduce the burden of Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) in the Republic Moldova, with a particular focus on the rural population. This involves working closely with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection to improve the quality of primary health care services and strengthen health promotion in 10 districts.
The Healthy Life Project is also piloting innovative approaches with community members and patients to increase patients’ self-efficacy and enhance the role that individuals play in chronic disease care.
The implementation of a Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme (CDSMP) for Moldovan citizens living with chronic conditions is being tested with technical support from the Danish Committee for Health Education. Originally developed by Stanford University, the CDSMP has been adapted and disseminated to many countries, including Switzerland. The CDSMP is based on a peer-led approach whereby trained facilitators with a personal experience of chronic disease lead weekly group meetings with volunteer patients for a duration of six weeks. Following a structured curriculum, group discussions focus on individual problem-solving skills and personal goal-setting to address the daily life issues of living with a chronic disease such as fatigue, pain, communication with health providers, social isolation, nutrition and physical activity.
The CDSMP benefits from a substantial global evidence base that demonstrates the positive impact on patients’ quality of life, motivation, knowledge and skills, as well as improved health-related outcomes. The CDSMP complements, but does not substitute, the medical services received by patients. It focuses on patients’ empowerment and the strengthening of their coping skills in their everyday environment.
In Moldova, the CDSMP will be tested in 5 rural communities. While participation in the programme is free and voluntary, the project will encourage the most vulnerable chronic patients to attend the sessions, such as the elderly or people with disabilities. The project will closely collaborate with the family doctors, nurses and social workers of the pilot locations to encourage the referral of their most vulnerable beneficiaries to this programme.
Efforts are being made to ensure transparent and frequent communication about this innovative approach to ensure support from a large range of stakeholders including health professionals.
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