Self-care: a well-known but yet elusive concept. A discussion of theories, concepts, interventions, and measurement

Tiny Jaarsma; Barbara Riegel; Anna Strömberg

doi:10.1093/eurjcn/zvae124

Self-care: a well-known but yet elusive concept. A discussion of theories, concepts, interventions, and measurement

Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2025 Jan 2:zvae124. doi: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvae124. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tiny Jaarsma^{1

2}, Barbara Riegel^{3

4}, Anna Strömberg^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health, Medicine, and Caring Sciences, Linkoping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden.
² Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
³ University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
⁴ Center for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Department of Cardiology, Linkoping University, SE-58225 Linkoping, Sweden.

PMID: 39743225
DOI: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvae124

Abstract

Good self-care can improve survival, decrease health care costs, and improve quality of life of persons with cardiovascular illness. Health care professionals from different disciplines have a role in self-care support. Many definitions, theories, and measurement instruments exist addressing self-care and this plethora might be confusing to clinicians and researchers. In this discussion article, we will guide the reader to find the right terminology and discuss theoretical foundations and instruments available to frame patient care and research addressing the self-care of persons with cardiovascular illness.

Keywords: Chronic disease; Decision-making; Measurement; Reflection; Self-care; Theory.

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