Managing Illness

Question 1

Define self-care

Answer 1

• everyday living
• care taken towards their own health well being
• includes the care extended to children, family friends and community
• stay fit, maintain good physical and mental health, prevent illness/accidents
• care for minor ailments/chroninc conditions

Question 2

List, explain and give examples to illustrate the 4 components of Barofsky’s model of the functions of self-care

Answer 2

1. restorative - alleviate illness
2. reactive - alleviate symptoms
3. preventative - prevent disease
4. regulatory - regulate body processes

Question 3

Give examples of factors which have contributed to the rise in self-care

Answer 3

• internet use
• reduce NHS costs
• expert patients
• technology
• healthism/consumerism
• definition of health and illness
• changing beliefs about medical power and expertise
• OTC medication
• increase in the number of people with chronic disease

Question 4

Define master status

Answer 4

the social position, which is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual
Whether ascribed of achieved, overshadows all other social positions of the status set in most or all situations e.g.
person
patients
person with high BP
patient with high BP
person/patients will multiple co-morbidities of which high BP is one
person/patient with high BP and other co-morbidities

Question 5

Compare and contrast the role of self-care in acute and chronic illnesses

Answer 5

Acute
- ongoing
- cure expected
- QOL of life highly depended on professional care, short-term acute services
- healthcare professional has higher knowledge and power
- short-term goals
- compliance expected
Chronic
- episodic
- incurable
- QOL highly dependent on patients and professionals, ongoing support services
- patient has greater knowledge
- short term goals set to meet long term outcomes
- compliance and selfrelience expected

Question 6

Describe the 12 self-management tasks in chronic disease

Answer 6

1. recognising and responding to symptoms
2. using medications
3. managing acute episodes and emergancies
4. maintaining good nutitrion
5. maintaining exercise
6. not smoking
7. relaxation and stress-reducing techniques
8. interacting appropriately with health care providers
9. seeking information and using community resources
10. adapting work and other role functions
11. communicating with significant others
12. managing the negative emotion and psychological responses to illness