Self-care: Concept, Rationale, and Framework

Abstract

The role and importance of self-care in the continuum of health care are becoming important subjects of debate among social scientists and health professionals. Interest in the self-care component of health services is stimulated by the convergence of diverse pressures common to health services systems. Depersonalized medical care, rising costs of high technology, focus on curative care, growth of lay knowledge, recognition of the limits of medical care, and documentation of the impact of the individual’s health behavior on patterns of morbidity are all factors stimulating new thinking regarding the importance of individuals and families to the effective and efficient functioning of health service systems.