Factors related to self-care behaviors among hospitalized patients with heart failure in Japan, based on the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale.
Ryuji Yoshinaga, Kohei Tomita, Kosuke Wakayama and 5 others
PMID 35698558WHAT IT FOUND
Heart failure patients with higher pre-hospital physical activity scores had worse self-care behaviors in managing symptoms.
Younger patients also reported poorer overall self-care. Target education on when to seek help for active patients, and reinforce general self-care for younger adults.
Key findings
01Higher pre-hospital physical activity capacity (SAS score) was significantly associated with worse self-care behaviors in the Management category.
02Younger age was significantly associated with worse overall self-care behavior scores, contradicting the hypothesis that elderly patients would have poorer self-care.
03No significant associations were found between living alone or gender and self-care behaviors in Maintenance or Monitoring categories.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=39), which restricted the number of variables that could be analyzed and reduces the generalizability of the findings. The Monitoring category was assessed using only one item from the scale, making the measurement accuracy low for this domain. The study was conducted at a single center in Japan, so results may not apply to other populations or healthcare systems. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality; it only shows associations at one point in time.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that elderly patients or those living alone are at higher risk for poor self-care. This study found no significant association for these factors. Instead, the risk factors identified were younger age and higher pre-hospital physical activity capacity, particularly for failing to manage symptoms appropriately.