Patient competence in chronic illness: A concept derivation.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Sciences
• Patient Self-Care Management

Background:

• Patient competence in chronic disease management lacks a recent, comprehensive definition.
• Existing definitions of competence are primarily from education and leadership fields.
• A clear definition is needed for healthcare professionals to assess and foster patient self-care behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define patient competence in the context of chronic illness.
• To identify the essential skills and attributes for effective self-care behaviors.
• To inform nursing and other healthcare disciplines on assessing patient competence.

Main Methods:

• Concept derivation using Walker and Avant's approach.
• Literature search across PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline.
• Inclusion of 21 relevant articles for analysis.

Main Results:

• Patient competence is defined as the capacity of individuals with chronic illness to achieve skill mastery, knowledge, a positive attitude, and trust in self and providers.
• These attributes facilitate active engagement in improving self-care behaviors.
• The derived definition provides a framework for understanding necessary patient attributes.

Conclusions:

• Defining patient competence is crucial for healthcare providers, especially for patients with chronic illnesses requiring ongoing self-care.
• Further research is needed to develop a precise instrument for measuring patient competence.
• The concept derivation offers a foundational understanding for clinical practice.