**4. Strategies by health care professionals (HCPS) in assisting PLWNCDS to maintain quality of life**

It is evident that for the PLWNCDs to adhere to self-management strategies themselves, Health Care Professionals (HCPs) must work together with them to design, develop and implement health plan which has to focus on short and long term goals that could be sustainable, effective, efficient and could be manageable.

The following are the strategies that could be used by HCPs to assist the PLWNCDs which has been found to be successful in countries in the European Region such as Italy, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan [13], and helped in adherence of self-management strategies and to control the condition:

#### **4.1 Self-management support**

Families, friends, community members and different categories of Health Care Providers (HCPs) must be educated on Self-Management Support so that they provide relevant support to PLWNCDs and their family. The support should be developed with the PLWNCDs so that he/she can own the decisions taken and focus on reducing health risk thus maintaining quality of life [14]. The following are the support that is relevant to the PLWNCDs so that they can be encouraged to take care of themselves:

*Patient centred:* Self-management programs should be initiated so that they empower PLWNCDs to take a lead role in planning care and should support them to work in partnership with their HCP to set goal and action plans [14]. The patients will be able to adhere to what they have planned for with HCP because they were involved from the beginning in planning their care. This will also encourage them to implement all strategies advised with in controlling the disease. It has been found that the management of chronic disease encourages patient-centered care such legitimizing lived experiences with disease and acknowledging patient expertise [15].

**289**

*Self-Management Strategies to Curb the Development of NCDs in Rural Communities*

*Psychological support:* It may be necessary to provide psychological support so that people can be able to cope with the disease and also accept their self-manage which might have been changed by the disease [11]. The health care facilities in the Primary Health Care environment must have psychologists to cater for psychological problems. The advices that they give to PLWNCDs will make them to realize that they can be able to avoid the stressors in the environment that they leave in so that they cope with the disease and play a significant role in maintaining their quality

*Cultural-relevance*: Programmes that are offered for the PLWNCDs should be context-specific because it will also be culturally sensitive and appropriate for different cultural groupings that might exists in the same community [14], provision of care to communities must be relevant and appropriate so that it could accepted by everyone. Thompson [16] recommended that medical interventions should recognize and respect diversity of religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs in the

*Systematic follow-up*: HCP at primary health care level have to conduct clinical assessments on the people in need at community level and follow-up care system must be established [14]. Self-Management Support has been found to be the most frequently used intervention in Chronic Care Model, which is associated with improvements, particularly amongst people living with diabetes and/or

The PLWNCDs have to take responsibility to maintain their own health by mak-

• It is advisable that those with smartphones could be able to set up reminders on their cellphones to remind them on the time to take their medications, clinic follow-up dates and also save short messages of when to eat and the type of diet to take. These reminders have been proven to assist in adherence to medication instructions and also health advise. It is evident that all these methods of reminding a person will assist them in adhering to medication and health

• The PLWNCDs has to be provide with a small room at the Primary Health Care clinic where they can be able to monitor their own vital signs with simple operated machine such as Blood Pressure, Temperature, Glucometer machine and weighing scale as these will assist them with self-monitoring without calling

• Initiating support groups at Primary Health Care level when visiting the clinics will assist PLWNCDs in advising one another on how to adhere to all health and medication advise and instructions so as to achieve health outcomes when living with NCDs, share experiences and also share strategies they use to

• The PLWNCDs must commit themselves to behavioral change as this is key in making sure that they eliminate what is harmful to their bodies and maintain behaviors that will promote quality of life which include amongst other things adherence to correct diet, engaging in physical activity, cessation of smoking

ing sure that they manage themselves remotely away from the HCPs.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96222*

of life.

practice.

hypertension [17].

**4.2 Self-management responsibility**

advise instructions.

any HCP to assist.

adhere to health instructions.

and drinking an acceptable amounts of alcohol.

*Self-Management Strategies to Curb the Development of NCDs in Rural Communities DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96222*

*Psychological support:* It may be necessary to provide psychological support so that people can be able to cope with the disease and also accept their self-manage which might have been changed by the disease [11]. The health care facilities in the Primary Health Care environment must have psychologists to cater for psychological problems. The advices that they give to PLWNCDs will make them to realize that they can be able to avoid the stressors in the environment that they leave in so that they cope with the disease and play a significant role in maintaining their quality of life.

*Cultural-relevance*: Programmes that are offered for the PLWNCDs should be context-specific because it will also be culturally sensitive and appropriate for different cultural groupings that might exists in the same community [14], provision of care to communities must be relevant and appropriate so that it could accepted by everyone. Thompson [16] recommended that medical interventions should recognize and respect diversity of religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs in the practice.

*Systematic follow-up*: HCP at primary health care level have to conduct clinical assessments on the people in need at community level and follow-up care system must be established [14]. Self-Management Support has been found to be the most frequently used intervention in Chronic Care Model, which is associated with improvements, particularly amongst people living with diabetes and/or hypertension [17].

## **4.2 Self-management responsibility**

*Lifestyle and Epidemiology - The Double Burden of Poverty and Cardiovascular Diseases...*

the people in line with the communicated message [11].

**to maintain quality of life**

**4.1 Self-management support**

Educational Booklets and Posters must also be written in local language. The DoH has to approach local radio stations to provide slots where HCPs could be able to reach out communities to provide Health Education on NCDs. These sessions must also have questions and answers sessions where listeners could be provided with an opportunity to ask questions where they could be provided with an opportunity to be clarified on issues they do not understand as far as NCDs are concerned. It has been found that the use of mass media campaigns can change health behaviors of

**3.1 Other related roles executed by HCPs to assist PLWNCDs to manage NCDs**

HCPs should advise PLWNCDs to visit clinics with their families or guardians, at least quarterly, to receive health education together so as facilitate self-management. Support groups for PLWNCDs should be initiated by the facilities to promote acceptance of the condition and give health education when patients come to collect their medication. Community structures must be developed, the Home-Based Carers should be trained to facilitate the programmes to execute activities to assist the PLWNCDs to manage their condition. A South African study reported limitations and challenges to the roles of Community Health Workers (CHWs), which includes not maximally using home visit for health education and further that CHWs are most focused on the sick people and not preventing vulnerable family members [12].

**4. Strategies by health care professionals (HCPS) in assisting PLWNCDS** 

It is evident that for the PLWNCDs to adhere to self-management strategies themselves, Health Care Professionals (HCPs) must work together with them to design, develop and implement health plan which has to focus on short and long term goals that could be sustainable, effective, efficient and could be manageable. The following are the strategies that could be used by HCPs to assist the PLWNCDs which has been found to be successful in countries in the European Region such as Italy, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan [13], and helped in

Families, friends, community members and different categories of Health Care Providers (HCPs) must be educated on Self-Management Support so that they provide relevant support to PLWNCDs and their family. The support should be developed with the PLWNCDs so that he/she can own the decisions taken and focus on reducing health risk thus maintaining quality of life [14]. The following are the support that is relevant to the PLWNCDs so that they can be encouraged to take care of themselves: *Patient centred:* Self-management programs should be initiated so that they empower PLWNCDs to take a lead role in planning care and should support them to work in partnership with their HCP to set goal and action plans [14]. The patients will be able to adhere to what they have planned for with HCP because they were involved from the beginning in planning their care. This will also encourage them to implement all strategies advised with in controlling the disease. It has been found that the management of chronic disease encourages patient-centered care such legitimizing lived experiences with disease and acknowledging patient expertise [15].

adherence of self-management strategies and to control the condition:

**288**

The PLWNCDs have to take responsibility to maintain their own health by making sure that they manage themselves remotely away from the HCPs.


Disclosing the disease to family members who will in turn play a role in treatment supporter and also encouraging to adhere to health advice such making sure that the whole family control salt intake and engage in physical activity just to support PLWNCDs that they are living with. The family members will also do more in making sure that they support their loved ones [1].
