隨著慢性病老年人口的增加，其健康照護需求愈顯迫切，而自我照顧是最有效之策略，不僅能協助其在疾病的限制下仍能發揮個人最大潛能，更能維持其健康及獨立自主，增加個人對健康的控制感，達到生理、心理及社會最佳狀態。為整體性了解和支持慢性病老年人的自我照顧行為，因此本研究採質性研究法，深入探討慢性病老人自我照顧之生活經驗，經立意取樣過程，以深度訪談的方式收集資料，共訪談11位慢性病老人。訪談過程以錄音記錄，再逐字轉錄成書面資料進行資料內容分析。研究結果發現，慢性病老人自我照顧行為可歸納出四個主題，包括疾病之醫療管理、照護資源之運用、生活型態之調整與心理建設。研究結果有助於未來建構慢性病老人的自我照顧行為量表及相關研究之發展，並期能做為護理照顧之基礎，提供真正符合慢性病老人需求之照護，使慢性病老人擁有健康的生活。; The need of health care becomes more urgent by expanding aged population with chronic diseases. Self-care is the most effective health care strategy. Self-care not only can foster the individual to develop his/her potential under the limitation of disease, but also can be helpful in keeping independence and initiative, enhancing the sense of control over health, and reaching the best state of physiological, psychological, and social well-being. For obtaining the entire understanding about self-care behavior of the chronically ill elderly, this research was conducted by using qualitative research. Purposive sampling was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 11 chronically ill older adults. Following the interview, recorded data were transcribed verbatim for content analysis. The findings of this study showed that self-care behavior of the chronically ill elderly could be divided into 4 major themes, which were medical management of disease, utilizing caring resources, adjusting lifestyle, and mental construction. The results can be utilized in instrument development and in further research construction. In addition, the findings of this study can provide implications for planning individualized nursing care to help the chronically ill elderly to achieve healthy life.
