When medical help was sought, participants preferred this
assistance in collaboration with health care professionals.
This was congruent with the collaborative model of care
identified by Bodenheimer et al. (2002). What made the
interaction different was that it was their decision to enter
this model when acute events occurred or other medical
treatment was sought, rather than a health professional
benevolently deciding that this was the best course to steer.
Taking control of their own lives was crucial in managing the
self. Helping oneself was an important aspect of living with
asthma, and taking action to deal with the condition was a
part of everyday life. Even for these self-determining experts,
management of the ‘self’ was seen as a full-time job.