Who Guideline On Self Care Interventions For Health And Well Being

WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being

Self-care interventions are among the most promising and exciting new approaches to improve health and well-being, both from a health systems perspective and for people who use these interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the following working definition of self-care: Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker. The scope of self-care as described in this definition includes health promotion; disease prevention and control; self-medication; providing care to dependent persons; seeking hospital/specialist/primary care if necessary; and rehabilitation, including palliative care. It includes a range of self-care modes and approaches. While this is a broad definition that includes many activities, it is important for health policy to recognize the importance of self-care, especially where it intersects with health systems and health professionals. Worldwide, an estimated shortage of 18 million health workers is anticipated by 2030, a record 130 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, and disease outbreaks are a constant global threat. At least 400 million people worldwide lack access to the most essential health services, and every year 100 million people are plunged into poverty because they have to pay for health care out of their own pockets. There is an urgent need to find innovative strategies that go beyond the conventional health sector response. While "self-care" is not a new term or concept, self-care interventions have the potential to increase choice, when they are accessible and affordable, and they can also provide more opportunities for individuals to make informed decisions regarding their health and health care. In humanitarian settings, for example, due to lack of or limited health infrastructure and medical services in the crisis-affected areas, self-care could play an important role to improve health-related outcomes. Self-care also builds upon existing movements, such as task sharing, which are powerful strategies to support health systems.

WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, 2022 revision

Implementation of self-care interventions for health and well-being

Self-care interventions, including for sexual and reproductive health and rights, are among the most promising new approaches to improving health and well-being, both from a health systems perspective and for the users of these interventions. Self-care interventions should be an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, direct interaction with the health system. These interventions are increasingly being acknowledged in global initiatives, including to advance primary health care (PHC) and universal health coverage (UHC). When they are accessible, available, acceptable, and affordable, quality self-care interventions hold the promise of advancing the attainment of UHC. Building upon the latest WHO recommendations and good practice statements, this implementation guidance includes key considerations to support the introduction and scale-up of self-care interventions in countries. In implementing the global recommendations on self-care interventions for health and well-being, countries will need to adapt them to the local context, considering the economic conditions and the existing health services and facilities. This guidance is intended to assist with that process and requires interaction with all health systems building blocks to ultimately improve national health systems in terms of efficiency, responsiveness, more equitable health outcomes, and social and financial risk protection. This guidance is relevant for all settings and should, therefore, be considered as global guidance.