Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1990 Mar; 110(8): 964-6.

[The extended self-care concept. Use of practitioners of alternative medicine and layman control of health services regarded as self-care]

Christie VM.

Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning, Oslo.

Research and discussions on self-care have been concentrated mainly on what happens before the patient decides to see a doctor. Attention could just as well be given to the forms of self-care used while the patient is under medical treatment, and perhaps even more to what self-care is used after the treatment has ended. Data from the Health Survey of 1985 indicate that patients who have seen a practitioner who practises alternative medicine are more likely to use a suitable form of self-care afterwards. This is supported by an interview survey of 150 patients who had visited such practitioners. The patients' attempts to influence the health system have to be regarded as a form of self-care. Many patients' organizations also function as centers which provide information about the quality of the practitioners. The extended health concept gives more authority to health personnel, the extended self-care concept gives more authority to the patients.