title: Patient-perceived self-management tasks and support needs of people with chronic illness: generic or disease specific?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-management is widely accepted as an essential component of chronic care. Nevertheless, little is known about patients' perceptions of self-management.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to explore which self-management tasks and support needs people with chronic illness perceive for themselves, and to establish whether these tasks and support needs are disease specific.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationwide representative sample of 2,064 people with chronic disease filled in the Patient Assessment of Self-management Tasks questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many respondents perceive self-management tasks in the daily management of their condition, although few indicate a need for support. Respondents who feel a need for support in one aspect of self-management are likely to feel a need for support in other aspects as well. Type of disease has a small effect on self-management tasks and even smaller on support needs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the self-management tasks patients perceive may be partly disease specific, self-management support does not necessarily need to be disease specific.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), PO Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, Netherlands, l.vanhoutum@nivel.nl.
authors.forename: Lieke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Houtum
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rijken
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heijmans
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Groenewegen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult