Self-Care in Chronic Illness, 5.0 credits

Entry requirements

Basic eligibility for courses at postgraduate level is available to those who have:

• Second-cycle degree
• 240 credits in required courses, including at least 60 second-cycle credits
• or acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other manner

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Describe factors that affect self-care.
• Describe how self-care has changed over time.
• Analyze and assess the effects of various efforts to motivate self-care.
• Compare different definitions, models and theories for self-care and related concepts.

Competence and skills

• Apply a theory or model of self-care in a specific disease group and critically evaluate its application and usefulness in clinical practice.
• Apply instruments to assess self-care in specific disease groups.

Judgement and approach

• Critically assess and reflect on different perspectives related to theories/models for self-care in long-term/chronic conditions.
• Reflect on ethical dilemmas in relation to self-care.
• Assess and evaluate how physical and psychosocial factors influence compliance and decisions in self-care.

Contents

Self-care is a term that encompasses health-promoting behavior, adherence to treatment and lifestyle advice, and personal decisions. Illnesses as well as physiological, psychological, ethical, social and cultural factors affect how well the individual copes with the adaptation from health to illness and to start applying self-care. The course introduces definitions, theories, interventions, measurement and results of self-care in chronic disease. Literature from various disciplines will be used to provide a broadened perspective on the concept of self-care, theories and models, and various issues that patients face when managing chronic illness.

Educational methods

Within the Faculty of Medicine, student-centred and problem-based learning forms the basis of teaching. The student takes personal responsibility for his learning through an active and processing approach to the learning tasks. The teacher's role is to support students in this way of working.

Teaching and working methods in this course are lectures, seminars and basic groups, mixed with self-study.

Examination

Assessment takes place continuously during the course and is based on all mandatory elements. Mandatory elements are active participation in the base group and seminar. The course is examined through an individual written in-depth work.

Students who have not achieved a passing result are offered an opportunity for re-examination in connection with the course. After that, participation in an examination is offered at a later time in the course. The scope for re-examination must be the same as for ordinary examination.

Change of examiner

A student who has failed an examination on the course or part of the course twice has the right, upon request, to have a different examiner on the occasion of a renewed examination, unless special reasons speak against it.

Grading

Course literature

A list of recommended reading will be provided by the course director before the start of the course.

General information

Planning and implementation of the course must be based on the wording of the course syllabus. Course evaluation as well as analysis and proposals relating to general development and improvement of the course are fed back to the Research and Postgraduate Education Committee by the teacher responsible for the course.

If the course ends or undergoes a major change, examinations are normally offered according to this syllabus on a total of three occasions within/in connection with the two semesters that follow.