Long-term exercise adherence in patients with heart failure: A qualitative study.
Shane Warehime, Danae Dinkel, Windy Alonso and 1 others
PMID 32861888WHAT IT FOUND
Heart failure patients in an exercise program said feeling stronger, having a routine, support, and learning helped them keep exercising.
Some still reported no benefit or health problems.
Key findings
0172.7% referenced improved endurance, vitality, or energy, and 59.1% said seeing health or fitness improvements motivated them to continue.
0240.9% reported mental health improvements, and 31.8% reported health complications or no physical or mental improvement.
03Social support was mentioned by 66.7% of non-adherent participants, 50.0% of adherent participants, and 40.0% of partially adherent participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Twenty-two participants, all from the intervention arm, cannot represent all heart failure patients. The study asked patients to describe their experience, so it cannot show that any support caused adherence. The sample was split into adherent, partially adherent, and non-adherent groups, and the authors said there was insufficient data for meaningful comparisons. Interviews were done after the long-term study, so memory of earlier phases may be incomplete. Functional class and age were not considered in the analysis. Some participants reported no benefit or complications, so perceived gains were not universal.
Declared interests
The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that any one strategy causes better adherence. The study interviewed 22 patients about their perceptions, and the authors say it is unclear whether professional coaches or peers were more effective.