May 1, 2008The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Self-care Behaviors in Indigent Patients With Heart Failure
Key result
Indigent and low socioeconomic status patients with heart failure exhibited low self-care and faced major concerns including increasing symptoms, fear of death, and financial challenges.
Population
65 patients with heart failure, mean age 59, 55% women, 35% nonwhite, 86% unemployed, and 52% indigent…
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
May warrant targeted support for indigent HF patients; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
Key Points
- To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of indigent heart failure patients and their self-care behaviors.
- Descriptive, cross-sectional study
- Participants recruited from three cardiology clinics and one hospital
- Structured interviews assessing demographics, clinical risk factors, and self-care behaviors
- Sample comprised 65 participants, mean age 59 years, 52% indigent
- Self-care behaviors reported as low among participants
- Major concerns included increasing symptoms, fear of death, lack of information, and financial challenges
Study Design
Type
Cross-Sectional (n=65)
Multicenter
Yes
Structured PICO
P
Population
65 patients with heart failure (55% women, mean age 59, 52% indigent) assessed via one-time structured interviews regarding self-care behaviors.
O
Outcome
Performance of self-care behaviors (measured by the Self-care of Heart Failure Index) and challenges/barriers in managing heart failure.patient reported
Indigent patients with heart failure exhibit low self-care and face significant barriers including financial challenges, lack of information, and fear of death.
Cite This Study
Macabasco‐O’Connell et al. (2008) conducted a cross-sectional in Heart failure (n=65). Low socioeconomic status and indigence was evaluated on Self-care behaviors and challenges in managing heart failure. Indigent and low socioeconomic status patients with heart failure exhibited low self-care and faced major concerns including increasing symptoms, fear of death, and financial challenges.