Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory

A majority of aging populations report chronic illness, which by definition are usually permanent or recurrent, significantly affect well-being, require daily and consistent health care management and last more than three months. With chronic illness now the major health threat and the primary driver of health care costs, researchers, healthcare providers and payers are focusing on interventions that can prevent or control exacerbations. In this context, the importance of self-care is increasingly recognized.
There are two approaches to measurement: generic and disease-specific. Generic measures are applicable to a wide variety of patients. Disease-specific measures are useful in specific groups with a single condition. Disease-specific measures are more responsive because they target issues experienced by patients with an explicit condition. Generic measures allow comparison among patients with different conditions and accommodate those with more than one diagnosis. The instrument provided here, the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory, is a generic measure designed to assess the process of self-care used by individuals with a variety of chronic conditions.

Primary Contact

Barbara Riegel, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA

Senior Research Scientist, Center for Home Care Policy & Research at VNS Health
Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Co-Director, International Center for Self-Care Research www.selfcareresearch.org

Email: briegel@nursing.upenn.edu

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