Background

Self-management support is considered an important task for nurses working in chronic care provision. The complex nature of self-management support makes it necessary to clarify the factors affecting the behaviour of nurses in supporting patients living with chronic illnesses.

Objective

The aim of this review is to synthesize the factors influencing the provision of self-management support as perceived by nurses in the care for patients living with a chronic illness.

Design

A systematic mixed studies review.

Data source

Studies published in English from 1999 to April 2020 were extracted from five databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, and Web of Science.

Review method

The selection process was guided by PICo (Population, phenomenon of Interest, and Context). Studies that highlighted factors associated with the provision of self-management support among nurses, within the context of the top four non-communicable chronic diseases, were included. The risk of bias was carefully assessed. Using data-based convergent synthesis, the identified factors were synthesized and tabulated. The clusters of factors organized under each theme were approved by all researchers in discussion meetings.

Results

In total, sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria; out of these, seven were qualitative, seven quantitative, and two mixed methods studies. The review identified nurses’ perspectives regarding factors influencing self-management support at the patient, nurse, care relationship, education and training, organization and healthcare system, and intra- and inter-professional levels. The review provided evidence that these factors are interdependent in nature.

Conclusion

This review proposed considering a framework of interdependent factors influencing self-management support. It highlighted the need to come up with a comprehensive definition of self-management support that takes into account the emotional aspect as well as patient-as-partner approach. The proposed framework can be useful in tailoring multi-faceted interventions to strengthen nurses’ supportive role in self-management of chronic care. Future studies should focus on exploring contextually relevant factors impacting nurses’ supportive role in self-management.