Abstract

Chronic diseases have become a primary concern for healthcare systems worldwide. Resources are increasingly being diverted to the care of chronic conditions, with little effect on reducing the burden on both health systems and patients’ quality of life. Approaching chronic disease care purely from the medical perspective and within the traditional healthcare system, originally designed to address acute illnesses, has not been effective. Self-management education represents a new paradigm of care for chronic diseases. It complements both clinical care and traditional patient education, in supporting patients to achieve the best possible quality of life with their chronic conditions. It is a key component of Wagner’s Chronic Care Model (CCM). Self-efficacy, which refers to an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to perform a particular behavior, has been considered an essential part of the strategic concept of self-management education. The three main models that promote self-management in chronic disease care are: the Stanford Model, the Expert Patient Program, and the Flinders Model. Promotion of self-management through education fits appropriately into the overall healthcare quality picture. This is demonstrated by: 1) its global recognition as an important component of the management of chronic conditions, and 2) evidence across studies that it has positive effect on physical and emotional outcomes, and related quality of life. For the future, it is important for self-management education interventions to be fully integrated into primary and secondary healthcare systems, to make education reachable to every chronic disease patient.