Today, U.S. demographics are radically changing, technological advances are spreading rapidly and widely, and the core conditions of people's daily lives are changing dramatically. In general, the U.S. population is growing older and becoming more diverse. As the population ages, so do its needs for care; the frequency and burden of chronic diseases are increasing, and many subgroups within the increasingly diverse U.S. population are experiencing health disparities despite great efforts to redress such gaps in the last decade. Nurse scientists have long recognized the need for effective self-management strategies among people with chronic conditions and led the way in establishing the theoretical and practical grounds of self-management science. Effective self-management strategies are increasingly being recognized as a high priority in nursing; they are an essential prerequisite for evidence-based practice and patient-centered care. The most glaring gap in current self-management science is the paucity of effective and practical interventions that address this complexity with a trans-disciplinary approach. Our goal, therefore, is to create a model national center, the Center for Trans-disciplinary Collaborative Research in Self-Management Science (TCRSS), where we will develop, test, and disseminate innovative self-management solutions to improve the health outcomes of people with chronic conditions. To achieve this goal, the Center for TCRSS will include four cores - Administration, Pilot & Feasibility, Innovations in Methods & Technology, and Community Engagement & Translation - designed to achieve the following Center specific aims: 1. To provide an infrastructure dedicated to trans-disciplinary collaborative research among investigators in nursing and other disciplines in order to improve self-management science. 2. To create synergy that will facilitate the development of nurse scientists who execute high-impact projects in self-management science by providing them with research training and resources as well as expert mentoring in a wide range of approaches such as biobehavior, evolving technology (e.g., engineering, computer science), business principles, and marketing methods. 3. To support trans-disciplinary collaborations that will facilitate the development, testing, and evaluation of cost-effective self-management interventions for improving patient-centered care and health outcomes including health-related quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.
With nearly 50% of Americans having one or more chronic diseases, it is important to develop and test interventions to improve people's self-management knowledge and skills. The Center for Trans-disciplinary Collaborative Research in Self-management Science will bring together experts from different fields of research to create programs that are effective at improving self-management while also being adaptable to meet the different needs of individuals who are suffering from chronic diseases.
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