Background: Heart failure patients in Korea have drastically increased. The adherence to self-care behaviors has an important role in managing heart failure and preventing readmission. However, there has been lack of information about heart failure p...
Background: Heart failure patients in Korea have drastically increased. The adherence to self-care behaviors has an important role in managing heart failure and preventing readmission. However, there has been lack of information about heart failure patients' self-care behaviors and influencing factors in Korea.
Purpose: The aims of this study are to evaluate adherence to heart failure patients' self-care behaviors and to identify influencing factors on the adherence.
Methods: Data were collected from three cardiac centers. A total of 312 outpatients were participated, however, the data from 280 patients who completed questionnaire were analyzed. The structured questionnaire consisted of the Korean version of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale(EHFScBS), Duke Activity Status Index, Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) short form, and Medical outcomes study (MOS) social support.
Results: The mean±SD of the EHFScBS was 31.98±6.81, indicating relatively moderate adherence. Almost all participants (97.5%) answered that they have always or often taken the prescribed medicines. On the contrary, many respondents have not performed at all right self-care behaviors in the case of feeling more fatigue (20.7%) and experiencing weight gain (22.1%). Among five selected potential influencing factors (symptom severity, functional status, heart failure knowledge, depressive symptom, and social support), social support (ß=-.216, p=.001), functional status (ß= .312 , p=<.000), and heart failure knowledge (ß=-.122 , p=.041) affect the adherence to self-care behaviors. It means that those who has low functional status, perceives to be supported, and has more knowledge on heart failure is likely to adhere to the prescribed instructions.
Conclusions: Considering the results of this study, nurses should focus on educating patients and their family members to improve self-care behavior adherence. Further distinctive education program according to age and functional status will be needed in the clinical fields.