Theory of self-care of chronic illness

The purpose of the middle range theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness was to capture a more holistic view of patients those with varied or multiple chronic conditions. One of the assumptions of this middle range theory is that there are differences between general health-promoting self-care and illness-specific self-care. A second assumption is that when providers interact with patients, their intention to form a partnership will motivate patients to engage in a level of self-care that can realistically be incorporated into their daily life and lifestyle. The major concepts of the theory are self-care, self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management. The three concepts of self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management reflect a sequence in which the behaviors are logically related to each other. This chapter describes the use of this middle range theory in nursing research, practice, and education