A systematic review of interventions to empower patient with chronic heart failure in hospital environment

The empowerment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is key to improving their quality of life, autonomy, self-esteem, level of satisfaction and healthcare costs. The aim was to identify the most effective nursing interventions to promote the empowerment of patients with CHF in the hospital context. Eight articles were selected for review (four experimental, two quasi-experimental and two systematic reviews). From their analysis, three types of interventions were identified: educational, cognitive-behavioral and combined, the latter being the most effective. The use of the Empowerment Questionnaire is recommended as a valid and reliable instrument to measure the empowerment of chronic hospitalized patients. Given the lack of studies on the phenomenon of interest, this review advocates for future research including combined interventions to empower hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure using a valid, reliable and specific scale.