Self-care agency: the concept and how it is measured

Self-care agency (SCA) is a phenomenon of great interest. Nevertheless, difficulty comes when attempting to compare results of studies. This difficulty is caused by the multiple conceptual definitions and instruments used across disciplines. Based on the literature, a historical view of the conceptual development of SCA, a description of the extant instruments, and a discussion of the fit between these definitions and instruments are presented. Researchers need to determine if they plan to measure personal abilities for self-care or the actions taken by an individual for self-care and choose their instruments appropriately.