Sharing information. This form of support consists in sharing of information about self-management topics like coping with symptoms, diet, exercise, medication, information about what other people are doing, and information about the disease itself, or about any other relevant aspects that could lead to improved self-management, and ultimately better health. This information can be told or distributed in printed materials like a folder or workbook, or via website or DVD.

Examples: Educational session on healthy eating for people with obesity, provision of a printed leaflet on the importance of foot care in diabetes, or a link to a website with information on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease care.

Self-monitoring training and feedback. Training and encouraging people to recognize, monitor, and record behaviours, symptoms, or clinical data. This process may include regular feedback from a clinician, or a synopsis of information registered in a digital tool to encourage you to continue monitoring your illness and behaviours.

Example: Showing a patient how to record blood sugar levels, physical activity, or pain.

Helping you to think through how you could obtain social support from others to help them achieve behavioural or outcome goals. It could also include the actual provision of social support or discussions about social support networks suited to your preferences, needs, disease burden, or additional life burdens. Part of this support would include linking you to relevant community services to enhance socialization and make the most of support mechanisms in the local community.

Examples: Encouraging family members to become involved in helping you to manage your disease or encouraging you to participate in a local exercise group.

The intervention is carried out by peers, people who have experienced living with the same disease or by lay people living in your community. Rather than involving just health professionals or educators, the intervention involves one or more peers who take on a role in the teaching and/or providing information about the intervention.

Examples: Training and teaching activities provided by peers to guide people with a related health care concern, to adopt a new behaviour that would facilitate healthy outcomes.