Key result
Fatigue is not associated with self-care behaviors in outpatients with heart failure.
Why the study?
The association between fatigue, self-care, and sociodemographic and clinical variables in patients with heart failure was not well characterized.
Cross-Sectional (n=99)
No
p-value: p=>0.05
In a Brazilian cohort of outpatients with primarily mild-to-moderate heart failure, substantial and exertional fatigue were highly prevalent and correlated with higher NYHA class, but were not directly correlated with self-care behavior scores.
Fatigue assessment may not inform self-care support in HF outpatients; cross-sectional data leave open longitudinal evaluation of causal links.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between fatigue, self-care, and sociodemographic and clinical variables in patients with heart failure. METHOD: A cross-sectional and correlational study, conducted at a university hospital in the Northeast region of Brazil. The Brazilian versions of the Dutch Fatigue Scale, Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale, and the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale were used. The analysis included descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients with heart failure participated. Substantial fatigue was observed in 71.7% and fatigue on exertion in 66.7% of the sample. The mean self-care score was 28.41 ± 7.98. There was no significant association between fatigue and self-care. A negative correlation was found between age and exertional and substantial fatigue, and a positive correlation was found between the duration of treatment and age. There was a positive correlation between functional capacity, exertional fatigue, and substantial fatigue. CONCLUSION: The findings reinforce the importance of symptom awareness and management in self-care. Health interventions are timely for promoting the quality of life of this population.
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Silva et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Heart failure (n=99). Fatigue was evaluated on Association between fatigue (assessed via DUFS and DEFS) and self-care behavior (assessed via EHFScBS) (p=>0.05). Fatigue was not significantly associated with self-care behaviors in outpatients with heart failure.
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