Self-care responses to illness: A selected review

Self-care is the basic level of health care in all societies. Yet, little is known about the range of lay reactions to illness and the forces shaping those reactions. This paper reviews literature concerned with self-care responses to illness. Questions arising from the data are discussed and future research needs are identified.

While limited, the literature illustrates the basic role and importance of self-evaluation of symptoms and self-decisions regarding reactions to illness. However, more studies of general populations are needed to chart the dimensions of self-care and to determine the forces which shape reactions to illness in various subgroups of society. It is particularly important at this time to design studies with uniform definitions of variables, especially definitions of self-care and self-medication.