OBJECTIVES: The health of people from Indigenous and ethnic minorities is poorer than the remainder of the population. Frequently, Westernized health systems respond by introducing self-management interventions to improve chronic illness health outcomes. The aim of this study was to answer the research question: 'Can self-management programs that have been adapted or modified still be effective for ethnic minority and Indigenous populations?' METHODS: A systematic review across four databases was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-three publications met the inclusion criteria. As the studies were heterogeneous, meta-analysis was not possible. Overall, interventions resulted in more positive health outcomes than usual care, but findings were inconsistent. DISCUSSION: We argue that rather than focusing on individual skills, knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward self-management, it may be more important to explore the structures and processes that underpin the sharing of information and skills within clinical or education encounters. Given that self-management is a Western cultural construct, creating empathic and responsive systems might be more effective for improving health of Indigenous and ethnic minority groups rather than relying predominantly on individual skill development.