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Aims: To determine if the Partners in Health scale, pertinent to assessing patient chronic condition self‐management, operates equivalently for men and women. Background: There are distinct gender‐based differences in self‐management behaviours and health perceptions. This may introduce non‐invariance in self‐report measures. Testing of measurement invariance is a recommended practice in nursing science to ensure robust metrics. Design: A representative cross‐sectional population survey in South Australian. Method: In 2014, 940 people responded to the South Australian Health Omnibus Survey, a battery of health‐related questions. MI and estimation of heterogeneity was tested using Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Findings showed self‐management constructs were interpreted equivalently between men and women. Observed population heterogeneity associated lower education levels with poorer illness and treatment knowledge, smokers with poorer treatment partnerships and mental health problems with lower coping capacity. Conclusion: Approximate measurement invariance was achieved between men and women for Partners in Health scale. Impact: There is a lack of well‐validated generic instruments, including investigation into gender variability, for measuring chronic condition self‐management behaviours. Lower education levels were found to connect with poorer knowledge of health condition and treatment. Mental health problems attenuated ability to cope with the effect of the condition. Findings can facilitate the development of better tailored interventions for self‐management of patients' chronic condition/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Mental health care for older people is primarily delivered in the community and is largely dependent on informal carers. Mental health policy encourages partnerships between carers and service providers to facilitate service access, coordination and positive experience of care. However, carers often lack information and support from services, with the potential for carer burden, and negative impacts on their own health and capacity to fulfil caring tasks. This paper explores rural carers' experiences of accessing care from a range of services for older people with mental health problems. Method:The Pathways Interview Schedule was used to facilitate 9 in-depth care journey interviews with 11 carers of older people with a mental health problem. Interviews explored their journeys to and through mental health, aged care, primary care and social care services. Framework analysis was used to explore carers' experiences and perceptions of care with a focus on access enablers and barriers. Results:Carers had a significant role in navigating services and operationalising care for their relative. Enablers to accessing care included carer knowledge and workers actively involving carers in planning. Barriers included carer mental health literacy, consumer and carer readiness for services, and worker misinterpretation of confidentiality and privacy laws. Conclusion:Carers should be considered key partners in mental health care planning that crosses service sectors. For this to occur, changes are required at the worker level, including increased communication between mental health workers and carers, and the service level, involving training for staff in interpreting confidentiality and privacy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]