Self-care and quality of life among patients with heart failure.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to determine if there were specific self-care deficits among patients with heart failure at the time of discharge in an acute care setting, which may be related to a decreased quality of life.

DATA SOURCES

Patients admitted with acute, chronic congestive heart failure were recruited to complete both the Self-care of Heart Failure Index and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaires. Data analyses were conducted to determine if there were any significant relationships between self-care abilities and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study were promising as "self-care confidence" and perceived better health were found to be significantly related to improved quality of life. Heart failure is a chronic disease that requires patients to develop confidence in their self-care abilities to maintain and improve quality of life.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Findings from this research study suggest that nurse practitioners need to first identify patients with heart failure who lack the self-care confidence required to manage their condition at home, and then focus on specific educational interventions to build confidence in self-care prior to discharge.