Chronic Illness and Care

Being chronically ill implies the management and treatment of a disease for a long time and even possibly for the rest of the affected person’s lifetime. Chronic health conditions or illnesses most commonly include diabetes, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, hypertension, and/or cardiovascular conditions. Since the ethical arguments concerning chronic illness, on the whole, center around the unfair distribution of resources, the argument will be advanced that this issue can only truly be addressed by national and/or regional policy changes and individual complementary obligations exist where patients should be encouraged to accept responsibility for their own health and not being solely dependent on a system to assist them in their functioning. This entry focuses on the following aspects: background with regard to chronic illness and the healthcare systems (internationally), ethical issues in long-term care focusing on care, and the distribution of resources, followed by an argument that individuals should take responsibility for their own healthcare.