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Understanding and Measuring Symptom Burden in Heart Failure: A Concept Analysis

Macy L Stockdill1, Patricia A Patrician1, Marie Bakitas1

  • 1The University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.

Western Journal of Nursing Research
|March 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Understanding heart failure symptom burden is crucial for effective patient care. This study clarifies key attributes and consequences of symptom burden in chronic heart failure patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nursing
  • Health Sciences

Background:

  • Heart failure (HF) presents a significant symptom burden impacting patients' daily lives.
  • Current research uses the concept of HF symptom burden inconsistently, hindering effective management.
  • A clear conceptual understanding is essential for developing targeted symptom management and palliation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the concept of heart failure symptom burden using Rodgers' evolutionary method.
  • To identify key attributes, antecedents, and consequences of heart failure symptom burden.
  • To inform the development of consistent measurement strategies for HF symptom burden.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a concept analysis using Rodgers' evolutionary method.
  • Searched major databases (CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, PubMed) for relevant literature.
  • Analyzed 20 articles focused on chronic heart failure symptom burden.

Main Results:

  • Identified key attributes: subjectivity, negative impact on life/functioning, synergistic symptom associations, symptom exacerbation.
  • Related terms include symptom distress and experience; a surrogate term is heart failure burden.
  • Antecedents involve HF classification/stage; consequences include increased morbidity/mortality and decreased quality of life.
  • No established gold standard for measuring HF symptom burden was identified.

Conclusions:

  • The concept of heart failure symptom burden requires clearer definition and consistent measurement.
  • Further research is needed to validate measurement strategies across diverse patient populations.
  • Improved conceptual clarity will support better symptom management and palliation in heart failure care.

Keywords:
heart failuresymptom burdensymptom experience

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