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# Living with chronic illness: self-management and the nurse's role

- Fundamental

A chronic illness lasts for years; the person manages it every day, and the nurse helps them gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to do it.

Updated Nov 12, 2026

## Key points

- Self-management: the person, as an active participant, manages the condition day to day; the nurse supports, does not replace.
- Four main noncommunicable diseases: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes.
- Four shared risk factors: tobacco, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diet.
- Build on the skills the person already has and tailor the plan to them.
- Living with a chronic illness is also a psychological transition: assess coping, mood and support.

## What it is

Noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes) cause about three in four non-pandemic deaths worldwide, most of them in low- and middle-income countries. Their main shared risk factors are tobacco, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diet. A chronic illness is not cured with one treatment: the person lives with it and takes daily decisions about medicines, food, activity and symptoms. Self-management is the person's active, day-to-day management of their condition. The nurse's role is to support it: assess what the person already knows and can do, teach in small steps, agree realistic goals, help with coping and involve the family and the community programmes.

## Key points

- Chronic illness lasts a long time, often for life, and usually has periods of stability and of worsening.
- Self-management covers knowledge of the illness, taking treatment as agreed, recognising and acting on symptoms, and lifestyle changes.
- Early detection, treatment and palliative care delivered through primary care are key parts of the response.
- Chronic stress and illness affect mood; adaptive coping and social support protect health.
- The family often shares the burden of care and needs teaching and support too.

## Components

- Knowledge: what the illness is, what the treatment does and what warning signs to watch for.
- Skills: for example, measuring blood pressure or glucose at home, using an inhaler, caring for the feet.
- Confidence (self-efficacy): believing one can carry out the changes.
- Support: family, peers, community and health programmes.
- Follow-up: regular check-ups and a clear plan for what to do when symptoms worsen.

## What it is for

- Fewer complications and fewer hospital admissions.
- More autonomy and better quality of life for the person.
- Shared decisions between the person and the health team.

## In nursing practice

- Ask first what the person already knows and does; correct misconceptions without blame.
- Teach one topic at a time and check understanding with teach-back.
- Agree one or two concrete, achievable goals per visit rather than a long list of changes.
- Assess coping and mood: sadness, denial or anger after a diagnosis are common and may need support or referral.
- Connect the person with the institution's chronic-disease programme and community resources.

## Common mistakes

- Giving a lot of information at once and assuming it was understood.
- Labelling the person as «non-adherent» without asking about cost, side effects, beliefs or access.
- Setting the goals for the person instead of with them.
- Forgetting the family and the person's emotional response to the illness.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What is self-management in chronic illness?

The person's active, day-to-day management of their condition over the course of the illness: knowledge, treatment, symptoms and lifestyle, with the health team's support.

## What are the four main noncommunicable diseases and their four shared risk factors?

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. Shared risk factors: tobacco, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diet.

## How does the nurse support self-management?

By assessing what the person knows and can do, teaching in small steps, agreeing realistic goals, supporting coping and involving the family and programmes.

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## Connections

## Related 4

- [Nursing follow-up in chronic-disease programmes: hypertension and diabetes in primary care](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/nursing-follow-up-in-chronic-disease-programmes-hypertension-and-diabetes-in-pri/)
- [Patient education and teach-back](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/patient-education-and-teach-back/)
- [Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory and the nursing systems](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/dorothea-orem-s-self-care-deficit-theory-and-the-nursing-systems/)
- [Health promotion models in nursing: Pender, the health belief model and stages of change](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/health-promotion-models-in-nursing-pender-the-health-belief-model-and-stages-of/)

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Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.

Sources: [Noncommunicable diseases (fact sheet)](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases) (World Health Organization (WHO), 2024); [Nursing Fundamentals, 19.2: Care of the older adult, basic concepts](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Fundamentals_(OpenRN)/19%3A_Care_of_the_Older_Adult/19.02%3A_Basic_Concepts) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2021); [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 3.3: Coping](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/03%3A_Stress_Coping_and_Crisis_Intervention/3.03%3A_Coping) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022); [La teoría de las transiciones como paradigma de apoyo al automanejo en personas con condiciones crónicas](https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/renfermeria/article/view/494) (Enfermería Actual en Costa Rica, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2024).

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/living-with-chronic-illness-self-management-and-the-nurse-s-role/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/living-with-chronic-illness-self-management-and-the-nurse-s-role/