Regional Evaluation of a self-management tool for people living with long-term conditions: A participatory approach – Recommendations Report.

MyLifeTool is a self-management tool for people living with any long-term condition
(LTC). It was developed in partnership with people living with LTCs and encourages
people to think about their strengths and how to self-manage their LTC in ways that fit
with their own lifestyles and future plans. It supports people to reflect on how to selfmanage the physical, psychological and social effects of their LTC. Throughout the
project, eight people with LTCs worked in partnership with us as Participatory
Research Associates (PRAs).
This project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and experiences of using MyLifeTool.
30 people living with different LTCs used MyLifeTool for twelve weeks and completed
an online questionnaire at the start of the project, at week six and at week twelve. At
week twelve, they were asked to write down their thoughts, perceptions and
experiences of using MyLifeTool. Six of the 30 people who took part were also
interviewed at the end of the twelve weeks to find out more about their experience of
using MyLifeTool.
MyLifeTool significantly increased participants' well-being, their sense of control over
their LTC and how to self-manage their LTC, and their ability to pace themselves.
Using the tool also significantly reduced the amount they felt their LTC took over their
lives. Participants told us that MyLifeTool supported them to reflect on their LTC and
self-management experience and helped them to accept their condition and develop
positive coping strategies. The next steps include testing the effectiveness of
MyLifeTool on a larger group of people from across the UK and develop an online
version of the tool.