Conceptualisation of the ‘good’ self-manager: A qualitative investigation of stakeholder views on the self-management of long-term health conditions
Conceptualisation of the ‘good’ self-manager: A qualitative investigation of stakeholder views on the self-management of long-term health conditions
Healthcare policy in developed countries has, in recent years, promoted self-management among people with long-term conditions. Such policies are underpinned by neoliberal philosophy, as seen in the promotion of greater individual responsibility for health through increased support for self-management. Yet still little is known about how self-management is understood by commissioners of healthcare services, healthcare professionals, people with long-term conditions and family care-givers. The evidence presented here is drawn from a two-year study, which investigated how self-management is conceptualised by these stakeholder groups. Conducted in the UK between 2013 and 2015, this study focused on three exemplar long-term conditions, stroke, diabetes and colorectal cancer, to explore the issue. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out with 174 participants (97 patients, 35 family care-givers, 20 healthcare professionals and 22 commissioners). The data is used to demonstrate how self-management is framed in terms of what it means to be a ‘good’ self-manager. The ‘good’ self-manager is an individual who is remoralised; thus taking responsibility for their health; is knowledgeable and uses this to manage risks; and, is ‘active’ in using information to make informed decisions regarding health and social wellbeing. This paper examines the conceptualisation of the ‘good’ self-manager. It demonstrates how the remoralised, knowledgeable and active elements are inextricably linked, that is, how action is knowledge applied and how morality underlies all action of the ‘good’ self-manager. Through unpicking the ‘good’ self-manager the problems of neoliberalism are also revealed and addressed here.
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Ellis, J.
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Boger, E.
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Latter, S.
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Kennedy, A.
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Jones, Fiona
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Foster, C.
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Demain, S.
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March 2017
Ellis, J.
eb60a3a4-281b-4895-9583-4d5cf1e65b4d
Boger, E.
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Latter, S.
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Kennedy, A.
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Jones, Fiona
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Foster, C.
00786ac1-bd47-4aeb-a0e2-40e058695b73
Demain, S.
09b1124d-750a-4eb1-90c7-91f5f222fc31
Ellis, J., Boger, E., Latter, S., Kennedy, A., Jones, Fiona, Foster, C. and Demain, S.
(2017)
Conceptualisation of the ‘good’ self-manager: A qualitative investigation of stakeholder views on the self-management of long-term health conditions.
Social Science & Medicine, 176, .
(doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.01.018).
Abstract
Healthcare policy in developed countries has, in recent years, promoted self-management among people with long-term conditions. Such policies are underpinned by neoliberal philosophy, as seen in the promotion of greater individual responsibility for health through increased support for self-management. Yet still little is known about how self-management is understood by commissioners of healthcare services, healthcare professionals, people with long-term conditions and family care-givers. The evidence presented here is drawn from a two-year study, which investigated how self-management is conceptualised by these stakeholder groups. Conducted in the UK between 2013 and 2015, this study focused on three exemplar long-term conditions, stroke, diabetes and colorectal cancer, to explore the issue. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out with 174 participants (97 patients, 35 family care-givers, 20 healthcare professionals and 22 commissioners). The data is used to demonstrate how self-management is framed in terms of what it means to be a ‘good’ self-manager. The ‘good’ self-manager is an individual who is remoralised; thus taking responsibility for their health; is knowledgeable and uses this to manage risks; and, is ‘active’ in using information to make informed decisions regarding health and social wellbeing. This paper examines the conceptualisation of the ‘good’ self-manager. It demonstrates how the remoralised, knowledgeable and active elements are inextricably linked, that is, how action is knowledge applied and how morality underlies all action of the ‘good’ self-manager. Through unpicking the ‘good’ self-manager the problems of neoliberalism are also revealed and addressed here.
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Conceptualisation of the 'good' self-management.docx
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Accepted/In Press date: 13 January 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 January 2017
Published date: March 2017
Organisations:
Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Innovation & Leadership
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Local EPrints ID: 404888
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404888
ISSN: 0277-9536
PURE UUID: cba28225-ed7f-4556-90b2-53e02b519951
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Date deposited: 24 Jan 2017 15:25
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:09
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Author:
E. Boger
Author:
A. Kennedy
Author:
Fiona Jones
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