Self-management interventions for people with chronic conditions in primary care: Examples from arthritis, asthma and diabetes

The increasing prevalence of chronic conditions has implications for health care provision, particularly primary care which acts as the gatekeeper to other services and provides long-term support for patients with enduring needs. One means of coping with this increasing patient demand centres on enhancing the ability of patients to successfully self- manage the day-to-day realities of their condition in partnership with health care professionals. Hence, it is not surprising that the provision of self-management style programmes has seen a rapid growth in the past five years, primarily in relation to hospital-based programmes led by health professionals. There are exceptions such as the community-based self-management interventions that are organised and delivered by voluntary organisations using peer educators. The value of increasing self-management provision through primary care is discussed in relation to three conditions that form a large part of the primary care caseload: arthritis, asthma, and diabetes. The typical management tasks associated with each condition are considered in terms of differences and commonalities. The implications of such similarities and differences for implementation of self-management on a much wider scale in primary care are discussed.