This article argues that self-management education is different from and complementary to traditional patient education, enhancing self efficacy. It reviews evidence from clinical trials that self management programmes are more effective in improving clinical outcomes and can reduce costs in some patients.

It argues that because patients with chronic conditions make day-to-day decisions about their illnesses the paradigm for care should be a patient-professional partnership, involving collaborative care and self-management education. It argues that self-management education is different from and complementary to traditional patient education, as it teaches problem solving skills and promoted self efficacy – the confidence to carry out the behaviour to reach a desired goal. It reviews evidence from clinical trials that self management programmes are more effective than information-only patient education in improving clinical outcomes and can reduce costs in some patients.