Table 3.

Self-management behaviors described in an on demand pattern

Type of self-management behavior, number of participants describing behavior(diagnoses)	Description
Manage acute symptoms	Type of symptoms:
N = 14	Hypoglycemic events (n = 4),
(diab, IBD, IHD, rheum)	Heart symptoms (n = 5), diarrhea and pain (n = 2),pain (n = 3)
On demand medication	Type of medication: pain medication, cortison, anti-depressive medication
N = 7
(rheum, IBD, MS)
Information seeking	Initially, 10 participants described information seeking.
N = 14	During subsequent interviews, 9 participants described sporadic information seeking about their disease.
(all diagnoses)
Navigating health-care	Type of contact: follow ups, sought advice and tests when symptoms worsened, advocated to receive treatment or consultations.
N = 14
(IBD, rheum, IHD, MS)

Diagnoses: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Multiple sclerosis (MS), Rheumatism (rheum), chronic renal disease (CRD), Diabetes (diab), ischemic heart disease (IHD).