Welcome to

Welcome to the project website developed by the Australian Rural Health Education Network (ARHEN). This project was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing through the Chronic Disease Self-management Lifestyle and Risk Modification Grant program and was developed through the collaboration of three of the University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) in Australia:

Spencer Gulf Rural Health School (SGRHS) primarily based in Whyalla, South Australia;
University Department of Rural Health, Northern New South Wales, at Tamworth; and
Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health (MUDRIH), at Moe in Victoria.

The aim of is to:

increase the awareness of chronic disease self-management (CDSM) and self-management support (SMS) principles among health professionals,
promote inter-professional learning in CDSM and SMS,
provide information, guides, models of CDSM and SMS services together with a range of support tools, and other support resources,
assist in the the integration of CDSM and SMS principles into the clinical practice of regional, rural and remote health professionals.

is an interprofessional CDSM resource that will assist rural and remote health professionals in the provision of chronic disease self-management support to patients and clients. It encourages interprofessional learning and collaboration and shared client care while at the same time assisting health professionals to empower clients to achieve a state of wellbeing and happiness despite living with chronic conditions.

The main disease focus of is heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but the general concepts promoted should serve as a template for the management of all chronic conditions.

is an educational as well as a clinical practice resource. Together with learning materials that describe key CDSM terms, concepts, principles and practice models, there are also clinical and other guidelines, references and suggested reading for those wanting to further their CDSM skills and understanding.

Case studies illustrating CDSM practice in a range of settings and for different clinical conditions are available. A number of self-assessment quizzes and reflective exercises are also provided to reinforce learning and understanding of CDSM and SMS.

Information is categorised under Tabs which are linked to Menus to assist users to navigate through the site. References and links for individual topics as well as for the entire site can be found in most menus. To make it even easier to review or find information and resources, materials are also brought together under two Resources Tabs and the reflective exercises can also be accessed in collated form under the Reflective Exercises Tab. A site map enables users to see at a glance the overall structure of the web site and a search option is also available. A Glossary of Terms can be found on every Menu to enable easy reference to unfamiliar terms as they arise.

We hope that you and your clients find helpful. We encourage you to provide feedback, including providing Case studies of your own so that others can learn from your experience and so we can continue to improve the site.

Best wishes from the team SGRHS - Gary Misan, Rachel Rodda, Kate Warren, Jacky Stamoulis, Kay Ross UDRH, Northern NSW - Tony Smith, Sally Theaker, Jodie Peace, Tanya Knee MUDRIH - Janice Chesters, Olivia vanReyk ARHEN - Vicky Newman
Sitemap \| Glossary \| Contact Us \| Acknowledgements \| Copyright \| Disclaimer Latest content revision: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 The website is supported by funding from the Australian Better Health Initiative: A Joint Australian, State and Territory government initiative.