UK self-care support initiatives for older patients with long-term conditions: a review

Objectives: Supporting self-care for people with long-term conditions is an aim of UK health policy. As many with long-term conditions are older it is of interest to explore which self-care support interventions have positive impacts for this group. This review explores what types of intervention have been reported in the UK and their impact upon older people. Methods: Studies were identified using existing reviews, electronic databases and through hand searching journals. After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied data were extracted from 18 studies. These were summarized in a narrative synthesis supported by summary tables. Results: All studies described interventions to support self-care, many targeted at people with arthritis. All used patient education, usually delivered to groups by a range of professionals. The majority of studies reported some significant positive outcomes, most frequently changes in physical functioning, illness knowledge and increased self-efficacy. The average age of participants was 60. Discussion: This review shows that self-care interventions have had positive effects for older participants but it remains unknown how best to support self-care in participants over 75, a group of people with long-term conditions who may have different needs.