Drawing on the concepts and resources developed at the first international symposium on the role of the individual in primary care, the authors of this book, originally published in 1977, delineate self-care and its relationship to professional care, reasons for the interest in self-care and a framework for future research. Self-care is a major factor in health and holds promise of even greater impact through educational development, the authors argue. They maintain that self-care is additive to society’s ability to overcome many existing barriers to health care accessibility, quality and accountability. In this sense, the authors argue, self-care must be viewed as the first option, with any alternatives involving professional care gives being supportive and residual.

This volume played an important role in the research on self-care which surged during the 1970s.