1480 Why do Heart Failure Patients not Comply with Diet, Fluid Restriction and Daily Weighing?

Purpose: Improvement of compliance in patients with heart failure (HF) is an important aim of many HF management programs. Therefore, it is important to gain more insight in problems patients experience with their HF related regimen including the barriers they experience in complying with this regimen. The aim of this study therefore is to describe which barriers HF patients have in following their sodium restriction, fluid restriction and daily weighing. Methods: A sample of 695 HF patients (mean age 71 ±11; 39% female; LVEF 33 ±14%) from 17 Dutch hospitals participating in the COACH study was included in this study. During hospitalisation basic characteristics were assessed. Patients completed the HF Compliance Questionnaire (including questions on problems with diet, fluid restriction and weighing) and the HF Belief scale (which measures barriers to diet and daily weighing). Results: Although most of the patients (83%) indicated that following a diet is important, 29% had difficulties with their diet. The most important barriers to compliance with the diet was the taste of the food (53%) and having problems to go to a restaurant (30%). Six percent of the patients had a lack of knowledge on the diet.