Self-care and related factors associated with left ventricular systolic function in patients under follow-up after...

Recent advances in treatment have led to long-term survival after myocardial infarction (MI), but subsequent complications such as heart failure have also increased, and, therefore, the relationship between prognosis and self-care needs to be investigated.

This study aimed to confirm the relationship of potential variables affecting self-care of patients after MI and to determine whether self-care predicts left ventricular systolic function.

Using a descriptive study design, a hypothetical model was constructed based on previous studies, and 191 post-MI patients were recruited from three university hospital outpatient clinics in Korea. The modified model was verified by constructing a structural equation model using AMOS version 24.0. The exogenous variables were illness perception, social support, and depression symptoms. The endogenous variables were self-efficacy, self-care compliance, and changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

The average patient age and disease duration were 66.3 (±11.5) years and 62.1 (±56.6) months, respectively. Self-care compliance was directly influenced by self-efficacy and indirectly affected by social support. Self-care compliance had a direct effect on LVEF changes, which was indirectly associated with illness perception, social support, and self-efficacy.

This study confirmed the direct effect of self-care compliance on changes in LVEF in patients under follow-up after MI. It is necessary to periodically monitor the degree of self-care in outpatients who are undergoing follow-up after MI to prevent a decrease in cardiac function. Counseling and education may be effective forms of social support to improve disease awareness and self-efficacy among patients with low self-care compliance.