Are patient and carer experiences mirrored in the Practice Reviews of Self-Management Support (PRISMS) provider taxonomy?

Introduction: Patient self-management support is a central component of care for long term conditions and for integrated care. Patients and their carers are the final arbiter of whether support for self-management has been effective. We sought to validate a new 14-item taxonomy (Practical Reviews in Self-Management Support - PRISMS) of provider activities that support patient self-management.

Methods: We interviewed 74 patients and family carers in three case studies of primary health care in New Zealand in 2015 to determine which components of the taxonomy were visible. We drew on interviews with clinicians and organisation persons to explain case study context.

Results: We found, within patient and carer data, evidence of all 14 components of provider self-management support. The overarching dimensions of the taxonomy helped reveal an intensity and consistency of provider behaviour that was not apparent considering the individual components.

Conclusions: Patient and carer data were able to map to the taxonomy of provider activities. The taxonomy was not explicit on provider relationship and engagement with either the patient or carer. Further work is needed to elaborate the differences between self- management support for patients and for carers.