Lesson Tag: SMA

Event (If nurse) Carry out simple observations (e.g. blood pressure) if necessary before the commencement of the group. Ask each patient if s/he has anything particular to talk about and write this on the board. Warm-up the group for when the doctor comes in. Signal doctor to enter the room when ready. Record notes on […]

Before the SMA Arrange a suitable room or venue Decide on the SMA model to be used Choose a date and time Confirm availability with staff Practitioners and/or staff to invite appropriate patients Patients book an appointment Record patient names and mobile phone numbers into a booking sheet (where possible ask for their mobile phone […]

Facilitator responsibilities Do all the preparations for the group. Warm-up the group for when the consulting Practitioner comes in. Prepare patient records and record today’s notes on the clinic’s medical record program (if Documenter is not available). Set up the room for the consulting Practitioner, patients and Facilitator such that the Facilitator can keep medical […]

On the day, the following materials are required: A whiteboard (or Butcher’s paper + blue tack) to be used with the following layout (after permission from patients): First name  HBa1C (or FPG)   BP   Tg   Wt   WC   Issues for today Other columns may be added depending on the group Patient records […]

The 4 M’s of Marketing are as follows:   Market SMAs can be run with almost any audience. They can be homogeneous or heterogeneous and cover general areas like chronic disease, pain, indigenous health, or newborn babies. They can also cover specialty areas such as dermatology, rheumatology, cancer rehabilitation or cardiac rehabilitation, for example. It […]

The 4 P’s of Planning for SMAs are:   Personnel You will need a ‘champion’. This could be a Receptionist, Facilitator, Practice Nurse or everyone. The champion will need to have a passion for SMAs and a need to want to drive the process within the clinic. Their motivation for doing so should come from: […]

You will need the following documents: SMA Provider Information The SMA Provider Information document should be circulated to all SMA team members prior to the SMA. MS Word: SMA Provider Info template PDF: SMA Provider Info template SMA Patient Information The SMA Patient Information document should be given to all patients prior to the SMA. […]

Each member of the SMA Team has different responsibilities, and as such, require unique skill and characteristics. The Facilitator has one of the most important roles and needs to undertake special training. The responsibilities of each team member, as well as the desired competencies and characteristics, are listed below. Facilitator Competencies Background in health sciences […]

Pete Pete is a 48-year-old overweight, insulin-dependent, truck driver. At his first SMA, Pete refused to sit, but stood near the exit door, arms folded, obviously ready to make his escape. “I don’t know why I’m here”, he said angrily when asked if he wanted to sit down in a spare chair. When given a […]

SMAs have been used in the US for over a decade and there is now ample accumulating evidence to show their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. The effectiveness of SMAs has yet to be confirmed in Australia, but there is little reason to believe the results would differ from those overseas. Cost-benefit studies on SMAs […]