Week 4

Question 1

What is self care

Answer 1

“Is a part of everyday living… it is the care taken by individuals towards their own health and well being and includes the care extended to their children, family, friends and others in neighbourhoods and local communities”

“Self-care includes the actions people take for themselves, their children and their families to stay fit and maintain good physical and mental health; meet social and psychological needs; prevent illness or accidents; care for minor ailments and long term conditions: and maintain health and well-being after an acute illness or a discharge from hospital”

Question 2

Functions of self care barofsky 1978

Answer 2

Restorative: to alleviate illness
Reactive: to alleviate symptoms
Preventative: to prevent disease
Regulatory: to regulate body processes

Question 3

Self care and its components

Answer 3

Self care maintenance: behaviours performed to improve well being, preserve health, or to maintain physical and emotional stability
Self care monitoring: a process of routine, vigilant body monitoring, surveillance or “body listening”
Self care management: evaluation to determine if action is needed, treatment implementation and treatment evaluation

Question 4

The middle class and ‘healthism’

Answer 4

‘The representation of good health as a personal choice… the maintenance of good health is an individuals responsibility’ (Crawford 1980)

‘Conspicuous consumption’ (Greenhalgh & Wessely, 2004)

Question 5

Factors contributing to self care

Answer 5

Symptom management (the clinical iceberg)
Definitions of health and illness
Healthism/ consumerism
Body maintenance
Changing beliefs about medical power and expertise
Internet use
Technology (self testing kits)
Over the counter medication/ on line pharmacy
Increase in number of people with chronic disease
Expert patients
Patient choice/ empowerment
Need to reduce NHS costs

Question 6

Master status

Answer 6

‘The social position, which is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual. The master status, whether ascribed or achieved, overshadows all other social positions of the status set in most or all situations’

Question 7

The expert patient

Answer 7

Focus on people with chronic illness because of:
Increase in aging population, chronic disease & co morbidity, health service demand
New concepts of aging
Lack of health education programmes for people with chronic disease
‘Emphasis on developing the confidence and skills to improve quality of life and work in partnership with health professionals’

Question 8

Differing assumptions & characteristics of acute and chronic illness (thorne 2000)

Answer 8

Acute: ongoing, cure expected, QOL highly dependent on professional care and on short term acute health care services, healthcare professional has more knowledge of illness than patient, short term goals set, compliance expected
Chronic: episodic, incurable, QOL highly dependent on patients professional self care and decision making skills and ongoing support services, patient generally has more knowledge of illness than HCP, short term goals set to meet long term outcomes, compliance and self reliance expected

Question 9

The 12 self management tasks in chronic disease (lorig et al 1996)

Answer 9

-Recognising and responding to symptoms including monitoring symptoms and controlling triggers to symptoms
-using medications
-managing acute episodes and emergencies
-maintaining good nutrition and appropriate diet
-maintaining adequate exercise and physical diet
- not smoking
- using relaxation and stress reducing techniques
-interacting appropriately with health care providers
-seeking info and using community resources
-adapting work and other role functions
-communicating with significant others
-managing the negative emotions and psychological responses to illness