Enabling health professionals to help patients self-manage their chronic conditions

In 1970, Elvis Presley sang Joe South’s famous words ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’. For people with chronic conditions – those requiring long-term self-management – this journey usually includes the hope that others, such as health professionals, have some empathy for their experience of living with chronic conditions. We know that this has a direct impact on health outcomes (Kelly et al, 2014). Many of the values suggested in this song are akin to the values that we would want and expect health professionals to deliver to patients as for patients’ views and preferences, trust and belief in patients’ capacity, ensuring dignity and autonomy, and understanding and listening to their wants and needs.