Worldwide, the maintenance of well-being in ageing populations with associated frailty has become increasingly important. To maintain well-being during ageing, investment in frail older people’s self-management abilities and the fostering of productive interactions with healthcare professionals may lead to higher levels of well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between community-dwelling frail older people’s self-management abilities, productive patientprofessional interactions and well-being, while controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. This cross-sectional study included 588 community-dwelling frail older people (aged ≥ 75 years) from 15 general practitioner (GP) practices in the Netherlands. Well-being (Social Production Function Instrument for the Level of well-being short), productivity of interactions with GPs (relational coproduction instrument), and self-management abilities (Self-Management Ability Scale short) were measured during in-home face-to-face interviews by trained interviewers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and linear mixed-effects models. Significant relationships were detected between self-management abilities and the overall, social, and physical well-being of older people, and between productive interactions with GPs and overall and social well-being, but not physical well-being. In a time of ageing populations with associated frailty, investment in frail older people’s self-management abilities and the productivity of patient-professional interactions may be beneficial for this population’s well-being.

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doi.org/10.1007/s10433-020-00586-3, hdl.handle.net/1765/133995
European Journal of Ageing : Social, Behavioural and Health Perspectives
Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

Vestjens, L., Cramm, J., & Nieboer, A. (2020). A cross-sectional study investigating the relationships between self-management abilities, productive patient-professional interactions, and well-being of community-dwelling frail older people. European Journal of Ageing : Social, Behavioural and Health Perspectives. doi:10.1007/s10433-020-00586-3