Webwatch – Self Management and Rehabilitation

A new managed knowledge network (MKN) from NHS Education Scotland provides access to information and evidence about adult rehabilitation and the management of long term conditions. Rehabilitation in this context is defined as  “a process aiming to restore personal autonomy to those aspects of daily life considered most relevant by service users, and their carers.”

The Self Management and Rehabilitation MKN is aimed at service users and carers as well as practitioners in health and social care and its purpose is to foster the creation of network of existing groups, communities of practice and individuals that operates across boundaries of discipline, organisation and sector.  Members of the network may use  a variety of tools to share both explicit (published) and tacit (personal) knowledge.

The network draws on the depth of the NHS e-library to offer a range of published information sources including: patient leaflets, websites, journals, articles, policy documents, evidence based reviews and guidelines. Many of the topics included will be of interest to social services practitioners, for example mental health, dementia, alcohol problems and depression.  Also included are patient stories as well as links to other networks: Scottish Recovery Network and Social Perspectives Network (a coalition of service users, carers, policy makers, academics and practitioners interested in how social factors both contribute to people becoming distressed, and play a crucial part in promoting people’s recovery).

Practitioners will find this a useful place to find out more and make cross-disciplinary connections. While much of the information is freely available, some resources require an Athens username and password.  To register for an Athens password visit http://www.ssks.org.uk/login.aspx.

www.enablinghealth.scot.nhs.uk/home.aspx