Self Care in Health

Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine

Definition

Self care is defined as:

"Health activities, including promotion, maintenance, treatment care and health related decision making, carried out by individuals and families."

It refers to those activities individuals undertake in:

Promoting their own health
Preventing their own disease
Limiting their own illness
Restoring their own health

These activities are undertaken without professional assistance, although individuals are informed by technical knowledge and skills.

The generic attribute of self care is its non-professional, non-bureaucratic, non-industrial character; its natural place in social life.

Background and Context

Although health is recognized as a fundamental human right, it is essentially an individual responsibility. It is not a commodity one individual can bestow on another. No community or state programme of health services can give health - in large measure, it has to be earned and maintained by the individual himself, who must accept a broad spectrum of responsibilities, now known as "self care."

Self Care Activities

Self care activities include:

Observance of simple rules of behaviour relating to:
- Diet
- Sleep
- Exercise
- Weight control
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Drugs
Attention to personal hygiene
Cultivation of healthful habits and lifestyle
Submitting to selective medical examinations and screening
Accepting immunization and carrying out other specific disease-prevention measures
Reporting early when sick and accepting treatment
Undertaking measures for prevention of relapse or spread of disease to others
Family planning - which is essentially an individual responsibility

Rationale / Why Self Care is Important

The shift in disease patterns from acute to chronic disease makes self care both a logical necessity and an appropriate strategy.
By teaching patients self care (e.g., recording one's own blood pressure and blood sugar level), the burden on official health services would be considerably reduced.
Health must begin with the individual.

Self Care in Chronic Disease (e.g., Diabetes)

A crucial element in secondary prevention is self care. The diabetic should take major responsibility for his own care with medical guidance, including:

Adherence to diet and drug regimens
Examination of his own urine
Other self-monitoring activities

Self Care in the Context of Population Strategy

An important element in community-based health programmes is patient participation. The patient is taught self-care - to take an active role in managing their own condition rather than remaining a passive recipient of health services.

Source: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, Chapter 1 - "Self care in health" section (lines 1816-1822, block 1)

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