Therapeutic Research

Abstract

This study examined changes in attitudes toward life in patients who participated in the Chronic Disease Self‒Management Program（CDSMP）, which was a workshop held in Japan to help patients with chronic diseases to manage their lives themselves. Patients who had participated in the CDSMP between June 2010 and October 2013 completed a follow‒up questionnaire survey 3 months after their original participation. Responses were obtained from 338 participants. Approximately 80％ of participants provided affirmative responses to“I am not the only person who has a difficult time” and“ I do not have to rush or push myself too far”, and between 60％ and 70％ provided affirmative responses to“ My life feels easier than it did before”and“I am now able to accept my disease”. This suggests that the CDSMP helped patients with various chronic diseases to share their experiences, eliminate their worries, and adopt positive attitudes toward their lives. In addition, it is important that patients with chronic diseases interact with each other.