Table 3 Process for analyzing our data using systematic text condensation
Theme | Meaning units (relevant quotes) | Condensation | Synthesis |
|---|---|---|---|
Understanding the concept of self-care | Self-care is to take care of yourself in relation to your disease, but it depends on your prerequisites, which is a part of self-care; if the prerequisites are bad, then the ability of self-care is bad as well (GP 1). | Self-care is not only related to disease. | Self-care includes all aspects of life. Health-related self-care cannot be isolated for assessment. |
Self-care is to appreciate yourself so much that you think it is okay to spend time and effort on taking care of your health… I think it reflects when you are just on the ropes and you actually do not count yourself for anything. If you cannot see a way out of the problems and feel not more worth than being walked over, then why should you take your insulin? (GP 3). | To have a positive approach to dealing with the problems you meet | ||
Regarding self-care, I thought not just following the treatment but also doing something actively to have a good life… It is about your ability to set the framework for your life, where you are doing fine. It is not necessarily identical to what we (GPs) think it takes to reach our goals for different chronic conditions. If you have a good life and you experience a good quality of life, I think you have more energy and are more minded to hold on to the good life by taking care of yourself (GP 8). | To be active in creating a good life and thereby have interest in holding on to the good life, despite of health challenges | ||
If you are unemployed, have personal financial problems, and hardly can make a living, you simply have no energy to care for yourself. You must be in control with the basic stuff before you can start changing your lifestyle (GP 11). | The basic stuff goes before lifestyle changes | ||
What is their ability to make a move? Some of them do not have it… No matter what we come up with, they have no energy to do something about it. Maybe they cannot see it or maybe they do not have the resources; then it is just easier to take the usual course because they have no energy to change anything. They have a lack of resources, in terms of economy, socially and mentally, to be able to change it (GP 12). | Improving self-care depends on the resources to make a move |