EVALUATING/REINFORCING ARTHRITIS PATIENT EDUCATION FOR URBAN AFRICAN AMERICANS

临床研究表明，对关节炎患者进行教育干预 是改善患者生活质量的有效医疗辅助手段 应对疼痛的能力，降低感知的症状严重程度，改善 患者的自我效能感，并为他们提供技能和策略 用于处理日常活动的限制。然而，几乎没有什么是 已知此类程序的影响可推广到 文化少数群体，如城市非裔美国人。更少的是 不知道病人教育的任何好处有多长，也不知道 有效的加固和维护技术。为了努力 审查这些问题，拟议的研究将通过以下方式招募受试者 一个以信仰为基础的社区网络，以追求以下目标： 1)评估关节炎患者教育对关节炎的影响 症状和疼痛程度、功能状态、自我护理知识和 行为、自我效能感、情绪状态与卫生保健资源 通过随机对照试验进行利用。(研究1) 2)测试集中强化概念的影响 为期12个月的关节炎自助课程(ASHC) 随机对照试验。(研究2) 3)审查ASHC的详细教育动态，确定方面 对非洲人不太有效或与非洲人相关的课程 美国人，并确定交流方式和演讲中使用的 这门课程需要改编成适合非裔美国人的课程。 (研究3) 4)评估非洲人的个人和文化信仰体系 美国人对关节炎的认识以及他们对传统和 非常规关节炎治疗(研究4)。 这些研究将提供关于文化的有价值的信息 帮助患有关节炎的城市非裔美国人的相关方法 提供病人教育，以满足关节炎患者的护理需求 非洲裔美国人社区。这项研究还将阐明人的寿命 教育效益和替代方法的有效性 在这一人群中加强教育。探索性研究 个人对关节炎及其治疗的信念和知识，以及 对患者教育计划的正式评估，将提供更好的 了解不同文化群体之间的差异以及这些差异是如何 差异应该影响文化上的设计和交付 适当的病人教育。

Clinical studies have shown that arthritis patient education interventions are an effective adjunct to medical treatment in improving patients' ability to cope with pain, reducing perceived symptom severity, improving patients' self-efficacy, and providing them with skills and strategies for dealing with limitations on daily activities. Little, however, is known about the generalizability of the effects of such programs to cultural minority groups, such as urban African Americans. Even less is known about the longevity of any benefits of patient education nor about effective reinforcement and maintenance techniques. In an effort to examine these issues, the proposed research will recruit subjects through a faith-based community network to pursue the following aims: 1) Evaluate the impact of arthritis patient education on arthritis symptoms and pain levels, functional status, self-care knowledge and behaviors, self-efficacy, emotional status, and health care resource utilization through a randomized controlled trial.(Study 1) 2) Test the impact of focused reinforcement of the concepts in the Arthritis Self Help Course (ASHC) over a 12 month period through a randomized controlled trial. (Study 2) 3) Examine the detailed educational dynamics of the ASHC, identify aspects of the course that are less effective with or relevant to African Americans, and identify modes of communication and presentations used in the course that require adaptation for an African American Audience. (Study 3) 4) Assess the personal and cultural belief system underlying African Americans' understanding of arthritis and their use of conventional and non-conventional arthritis treatments (Study 4). These studies will provide valuable information regarding culturally relevant methods of reaching urban African Americans with arthritis and providing patient education that addresses arthritis care needs of the African American community. This study will also clarify the longevity of educational benefits and the effectiveness of alternative methods of educational reinforcement in this population. The exploratory studies of individual beliefs and knowledge of arthritis and its treatment, and the formal evaluation of a patient education program, will provide a better understanding of the ways in which cultural groups differ and how these differences should influence the design and delivery of culturally appropriate patient education.