SELF CARE:

MAINTAINING HEALTHDefining Self Care

Strategies

Drivers and Evidence

PUP 2224: Learning Outcome Three

For information on self care, this is an excellent resource www.nhs.uk/selfcare

NHS: What is self care?

• Self care means keeping fit and healthy, as well as

knowing how to take medicines, treat minor ailments and

seek help when you need it.

• If you have a long-term condition, self care is about

understanding that condition and how to live with it.

• Preventing secondary complications as well as sustaining

health

NHS Approach: Definition

• Self Care is an integral part of daily life and is all about

individuals taking responsibility for their own health and

wellbeing, with support from their health and social care

professionals.

• It includes the actions people take every day in order to

stay fit and maintain good physical and mental health,

meet their social and psychological needs, prevents

illness or accidents, and care more effectively for minor

ailments and long term conditions.

Shift of values and beliefs

• Shift from institutional help to one of self help (1980’s)

• Wellness and prevention v’s restorative care

• (Neisbett 1984)

• Taking responsibility for health habits lifestyle environment

and being treated as a whole person

• Control over health is an important determinant of health

outcomes.

What the Government want!

• http://selfmanagementsupport.health.org.uk/media_mana

ger/public/179/SMS_resource-

centre_publications/Self%20care%20-

%20a%20guide%20to%20developing%20local%20strate

gies%20and%20good%20practice.pdf

Nurses

• Need to be concerned with developing approaches or

methods that will influence or facilitate individual health

behaviours

We need to know strategies for:

• Exploring

• Motivating

• Placing responsibility

• Contracting

To meet health goals

Self Care Strategies

• The Self Care Strategy aims to promote the development

of self care for people with a long term condition through

engagement with healthcare professionals and people

with long term conditions to promote self care strategies

and options.

• Health Promotion Strategies

• Behavioural Changes

• Screening

• Prevention

• Quality of life and dignified death (End of Life)

Factors that make Self Care difficult

• Interfere with the ability to make decisions

• i.e. how to or what to do when

• Comorbidities make symptom control difficult

• Depression

• Anxiety (Impairs motivation learning creates symptoms)

• Age

• Sleep Disturbances

• Polypharmacy

• Poor Health Literacy

• Can you think of any others? Gallaghers!

Factors that promote Self Care

• Healthly lifestyle

• Sustain health behaviours

• Information and education

• Services, support, resources, finance, employment

• True patient centered ( working together )

• Medication

• Routine monitoring screening and prevention of

secondary complications

• Recognition of comorbidities when admitted to hospital for

treatments (the diabetes exercise)

NHS: Self Check

• http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/LifeCheck.aspx

• Developing a Health Check

• Expert Patient Policy

Self Care Week, 15-21November 2010

• Self Care Week aims to raise awareness of the

information and resources available to help the public and

especially those with a long term condition take control of

their own health and wellbeing.

• It will make people aware of the support available and

encourage them to take a more active role in decisions

about their care.

• There are resources available to healthcare professionals

to promote Self Care and Self Care Week.

• The information pack provides information on the week,

key messages and what else is happening nationally and

locally during the week.

References

• http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/12/1141.full.pdf+ht

ml