Consumer Health Self-Care

Purposes of Self-Care Health Promotion Self-Diagnosis Home Medical Tests Self-Treatment of Chronic Diseases Organizations Self-Help Publications Self-Help Groups

Purposes of Self-Care Improve wellness / health status Reduce risk factor Prevent illness or injury Diagnose/assess symptoms/signs of illness Reduce pain, discomfort, disability Develop advocacy skills

Purposes of Self-Care For the patient, improve health, satisfaction, and loyalty to health care providers and plans and, at the same time, reduce use of services and lower costs

Home Medical Tests Began in early 1990s Tests include Hepatitis C, cholesterol, illegal drugs, and, of course, pregnancy, HIV, blood pressure Benefits Reduces office visits Personal sense of control Need FDA approval

Organizations Scope of Self-Care Instruction Lifestyle modification/health promotion Chronic illness conditions Health-care consumer information Acute illness conditions Physical examination skills Dental health skills Alternative therapies

Self-Help Publications Report on Self-Care Manuals For the patient, improve health, satisfaction, and loyalty to health care providers and plans and, at the same time, reduce use of services and lower costs

Self-Help Publications Assessment of Effectiveness Use Knowledge Behavior Change Health Care System Use Some projects found that manual distribution reduced utilization but others did not find that

Self-Help Groups Mental Health Weight Loss Addiction Recover Bereavement Diabetes Cancer Caregiver Groups for the Elderly Cancer Chronic Illness

Self-Help Groups Effectiveness Finding American Self-Help Clearinghouse

Summary Purposes of Self-Care Health Promotion Self-Diagnosis Home Medical Tests Self-Treatment of Chronic Diseases Organizations Self-Help Publications Self-Help Groups

Purposes of Self-Care Control of own life Realization of exposure to health risks Medical costs rising May lower cost with fewer MD visits Advertising encourages self-care Inability of health agencies to serve Dissatisfaction with medical care

Self-Treatment of Chronic Diseases

Health Promotion

Self-diagnosis