Simple but Powerful: The Formula for Successful Self-Care
Self-Care
Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote their own health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.
It recognizes individuals as active agents in managing their own health care in areas including health promotion; disease prevention and control; self-medication; providing care to dependent persons; and rehabilitation, including palliative care. It does not replace the healthcare system but instead provides additional choices and options for healthcare.
Simple but Powerful Formula
Healthy habits + taking care of minor and long-term health conditions = Self-care
HEALTH-PROMOTION TIPS FOR SELF-CARE PRACTICES
SELF-CARE IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERVENTIONS LINKED TO HEALTH SYSTEMS
Self-Care Health Interventions
Self-care interventions are tools which support self-care. Self-care interventions include evidence-based, quality drugs, devices, diagnostics and/or digital products which can be provided fully or partially outside of formal health services and can be used with or without health workers. Examples of quality, cost-effective self-care interventions include over-the-counter availability of some contraceptive products, pregnancy tests, condoms and lubricants, HPV and STI self-sampling and HIV self-tests, and self-monitoring of blood pressure and blood glucose.
Users of Self-Care Interventions
The users of self-care interventions are individuals and caregivers who might choose these interventions for positive reasons, which may include convenience, cost, empowerment, a better fit with values or daily lifestyles, or the intervention may provide the desired options and choice. However, they might also opt for self-care interventions to avoid the health system.
PLACES OF ACCESS TO SELF-CARE INTERVENTIONS
