ABSTRACT
The terms ‘self-care/self-management’ have become progressively more popular as both the incidence of chronic/long-term conditions and the subsequent demand on health care providers increase. In part this is also due to the move away from the traditional ‘medical’ model of care with its focus on disease and cure and the realisation that responsibility for health lies with both society and
What do we mean by self-care and what implications does this approach have on the patient-practitioner relationship? How do practitioners determine who is suitable for self-care? An overview of research studies relating to the encouragement of self-care is provided, as is a guide to how these can be implemented in the practical setting. The concept behind the expert patient is discussed, alongside the concept of developing the nurse/ client relationship to move away from the traditional paradigm of reliance on health care providers and towards a self-care/self-management paradigm, including the development of concordance and involvement of family and carers. This chapter also includes a guide to currently available schemes such as the UK’s Expert Patients Programme (EPP).
