Capability for self-care of patients with heart failure

A thorough analysis of the capability for self-care in patients with heart failure (HF) reduces the frequency of hospitalizations that are caused by decompensation. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the method of therapy for HF, the degree of the acceptance of illness, and the occurrence of frailty syndrome on adherence to the therapeutic recommendations and self-care in patients with HF.

The study included 180 patients who were hospitalized after being diagnosed with HF. In all, we used the Polish versions of three validated instruments: the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale, Illness Acceptance Scale, and The Tilburg Frailty Indicator.

The capability for self-care of patients with HF was 27.8%. More than 65% of the patients followed the recommendations for taking medication and also followed a low-sodium diet, while only 5.5% of the patients followed the recommendations for physical exercise. Positive correlations were found between the capability for self-care and frailty syndrome and its components: general frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.4449, P=0.0000; physical frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.3974, P=0.0000; emotional frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.2831, P=0.0001; social frailty components vs the capability for self-care: r=0.2180, P=0.0032, and a negative correlation between the capability for self-care and the degree of the acceptance of the illnesses (r=-0.4662, P=0.0000).

A relatively low capability for self-care was found in patients with HF. The presence of frailty syndrome and a low level of the acceptance of illness are connected with a low capability for self-care.