Key result
Self-reported self-care among 39 chronic heart failure patients yielded a mean score of 25.59 out of 60, with notable deficits in regular exercise, daily weighing, and low salt diet adherence.
Cross-Sectional (n=39)
In a Scottish cohort of heart failure patients, self-care scores were comparable to international studies, though specific deficits in exercise, daily weighing, and dietary sodium restriction were identified.
Suboptimal self-care in HF patients signals need for targeted support; hypothesis-generating for adherence interventions.
Self-care, encompassing self-monitoring and self-management, has been widely promoted within heart failure management programmes to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital admissions. Limited quantitative evidence describing heart failure self-care in the Scottish context led to the descriptive study reported here. The European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale was used to measure levels of self-reported self-care in a convenience sample of 39 chronic heart failure patients receiving care from a nurse-led service in the West of Scotland. The total self-care score ranged from 12 to 44 with a mean score of 25.59 from a possible range of 12 to 60; comparing favourably with similar international studies. The items ‘I exercise regularly’; ‘I weigh myself every day’ and ‘I eat a low salt diet’ had the lowest levels of agreement. While further research is warranted, we recommend that practitioners direct attention towards these self-care deficits within the identified heart failure population.
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Barber et al. (2011) conducted a cross-sectional in chronic heart failure (n=39). Self-care behaviour was evaluated on Total self-care score on the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale. Self-reported self-care among 39 chronic heart failure patients yielded a mean score of 25.59 out of 60, with notable deficits in regular exercise, daily weighing, and low salt diet adherence.
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