Objective: The following article constitutes an update on the fundamental role of nursing professionals in providing care to persons suffering from a chronic illness of cardiovascular origin. Method: Two important aspects are addressed: adherence and self-care. The aim of this review is to go beyond the biomedical vision that gave rise to the concept of therapeutic adherence and to move towards a more comprehensive idea of self-care. Results: The meaning of self-care is clarified by presenting health as an integrating system that affords the patient competence for his/her own care -beginning with diagnosis and continuing throughout the entire course of the illnessby allowing the patient to apply relevant or significant knowledge that is supplied by health care providers and necessary to keep the patient stable. Conclusions: The complexity of self-care is examined in light of the work of nursing, with a look at the Orem model, which represents an important contribution to the discipline and a life-style option for the person with a cardiovascular disease.