The role of nurse–patient mutuality on self-care behaviours in patients with chronic illness

Aim: To examine the role of nurse-patient mutuality on three self-care behaviours in chronic illness patients. Design: A cross-sectional multi-centre study was conducted. Methods: Mutuality was measured with the Nurse-Patient Mutuality in Chronic Illness scale which has the dimensions of developing and going beyond, being a point of reference and deciding and sharing care, and self-care was measured with the Self-care of Chronic Illness Inventory (SC-CII). Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the contribution of three dimensions of mutuality on self-care maintenance, monitoring and management behaviours controlling for patient gender, age, education, number of medications, and presence of a family caregiver. Results: The sample included 465 inpatients and outpatients with at least one chronic illness. The three dimensions of mutuality had different roles in their influence on the three dimensions of self-care. Developing and going beyond was significantly associated with self-care maintenance and self-care monitoring behaviours. Point of reference was significantly associated with self-care maintenance behaviour. Deciding and sharing care was significantly associated with self-care monitoring and self-care management behaviours. Conclusion: The mutuality between nurse and patient may be a novel area of research to support and improve patient self-care behaviours with implications for clinical practice and education. Implication for profession and patient care: Mutuality between nurse and patient increases patient engagement, symptom recognition, decision-making process and patient-centred approach favouring the development of self-care behaviours. Impact: Mutuality between nurse and patient is a new concept and its association with the patient outcomes could bring relevance to the nursing profession. Self-care behaviours are important in the management of chronic diseases, but are difficult to perform. Mutuality between nurse and patient influences the three different behaviours of self-care in chronic illness, for this reason it is important to increase the level of mutuality in this dyad. Reporting method: STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was followed in this study. Patient or public contribution: Patients were involved in the sample of the study.