The effects of a self-care program on patients with heart failure.

Background: A lack of adequate knowledge and misconceptions by heart failure (HF) patients can lead to the improper use of self-care skills, as well as a lack of confidence in those same self-care skills. The existing literature suggests that care providers using a video-tape or a teaching booklet to educate HF patients, combined with telephone or telemonitoring counseling can effectively promote self-care and reduce readmission rates, and in turn promote overall patient health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of self-care programs in patients with HF.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the effectiveness of a self-care program in HF patients. The patients were allocated into either the control group (usual care, n = 75) or the experimental group (self-care program, n = 56). The extent of patient knowledge about congestive HF (CHF) was tested at both the pre- and posteducation stages. We measured the self-care of HF index (SCHFI) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class a total of four times for each participant. Furthermore, hospital readmissions and mortality rates were also collected.

Results: The experimental group showed a significantly higher mean score in the knowledge of CHF during posteducation testing than the control group. The results of the self-care evaluation also revealed significant differences between the two groups by repeated general linear model measurement analysis. Self-care maintenance, self-care management, and self-care confidence significantly improved after the self-care program was completed. The NYHA functional class in the experimental group showed a significant improvement after hospital discharge when compared with those in the control group. However there was no significant difference in hospital readmission or mortality rate between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our study reveals that self-care programs administered by HF patients can reinforce educational objectives and improve patient ability to effectively perform self-care.