Self-management of lower extremity fracture patients: A concept analysis review

Abstract

Self-management is the ability of individuals to manage health conditions independently, including physical, emotional, and social aspects. In the case of lower extremity fractures, self-management plays an important role in accelerating recovery, preventing complications, and improving the patient's quality of life. Lower extremity fractures are one of the conditions that often occur due to trauma, either due to traffic accidents, falls, or intense physical activity. The recovery process of patients with lower extremity fractures involves a long rehabilitation period, which includes medical treatment, physiotherapy, and psychosocial support. This concept aims to analyze self-management in the context of lower extremity fractures through the identification of key attributes, antecedents, consequences, and case examples. The method used is the concept analysis approach of Walker and Avant. Literature reviews are conducted using databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. A total of 12 studies were analyzed to identify conceptual problems related to the term "self-management". The literature used includes journal articles published between 1991 and 2024, with search keywords including "self-management, nurse, lower extremity fractures". The main attributes of self-management include health education, patient readiness, family support, and the ability to monitor symptoms, and health status, while consequences include faster recovery, improved quality of life, complication prevention, patient independence, and patient satisfaction. The case model describes the optimal application of self-management, while borderline and contrary cases show partial application or absence of relevant attributes. Empirical referents such as the patient's level of understanding, adherence to therapy, and involvement in recovery-supporting activities were used to measure the effectiveness of self-management. This analysis provides a conceptual framework that can help healthcare workers understand the attributes, models, and concepts of self-management so that it can be the basis for the development of patient-centered nursing interventions with limb fractures, thereby improving the patient's quality of life and accelerating the healing process.