Post-Transplant Self-Management, Self-Efficacy, and Subjective Well-Being in Heart Transplant Recipients: A...

To explore the current status and influencing factors of transplant recipients' subjective well-being, self-management, and self-efficacy at home after heart transplantation (HTx).

In this cross-sectional study, we used an online questionnaire to survey 83 HTx recipients who had been discharged from the largest HTx center in South China for more than 6 months. The time since transplantation ranged from 6 months to 14 years. Three self-assessment tools were used: the Chinese version of the Index of Wellbeing and Index of General Affect, the HTx self-management questionnaire, and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale.

In this study, the well-being index ranged from 5.73 to 14.70 points, with a median of 12.60 (P25 = 10.79, P75 = 13.70). The overall subjective well-being of the HTx recipients was at a good level. Transplant recipients with a history of readmission (Z = 2.271, P = .023), unrecovered activity tolerance (Z = 3.532, P < .001), ignorance of the content of cardiac rehabilitation (Z = 2.703, P = .007), and a negative attitude toward the transplant (Z = 2.438, P = .015) and preoperative use of inotropic agents (Z = 1.999, P = .046) had lower levels of well-being. Subjective well-being is positively related to self-management and self-efficacy, where the stronger the self-management, the higher the level of well-being and self-efficacy.

The HTx recipients in this study had higher overall levels of self-management, self-efficacy, and well-being. However, there remain problems associated with poor treatment compliance and poor home cardiac rehabilitation effectiveness. Transplant recipients whose activity tolerance has returned to pre-transplant levels have higher levels of self-management, suggesting that the transplant team should take measures to improve the treatment compliance of HTx recipients, as well as to provide home cardiac rehabilitation guidance to maximize the recovery of activity tolerance and improve the well-being of transplant recipients.