Self-care: the new principal care

J Ambul Care Manage. 2014 Jul-Sep;37(3):219-25. doi: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000036.

Abstract

We predict self-care will become the new principal source of care. People living with diverse chronic conditions spend more time on self-management than with their providers. The increasing burden of chronic disease and costs coupled with value-based payments and innovative care models will generate a shift away from expensive specialized care toward high-value self-care facilitated by information technology, social support, and clinical expertise. This predicted shift in the value stream carries with it risks and uncertainties but will likely prevail as society seeks to confer "agency" by enabling people to make decisions and engage effectively in care coproduction.

MeSH terms

  • Chronic Disease / economics
  • Chronic Disease / therapy*
  • Health Expenditures / trends
  • Humans
  • Patient Safety*
  • Primary Health Care / economics
  • Primary Health Care / standards*
  • Primary Health Care / trends
  • Self Care / economics
  • Self Care / standards*
  • Self Care / trends
  • Social Support
  • Time Factors
  • Value-Based Purchasing / standards
  • Value-Based Purchasing / trends