Self-care is not new. For millennia people have been taking measures to prevent disease, promote health and cope with illness and disability with and without a health care provider. While self-care will never replace the need for access to quality healthcare, self-care interventions are among the most promising and exciting new approaches to improve health and well-being—both from a health systems perspective and for people who use these interventions.

Self-care can encompass many different aspects of care. New diagnostics, devices, drugs, and digital health are transforming the way people interact with the health system and has spotlighted the untapped potential for people to take charge of their own health in ways never before possible.