Table 1 Interventions implemented at each time point in the control group and intervention group.

On the day of admission

1. Admission Education: After admission, patients undergo a comprehensive assessment, during which they are introduced to the ward environment, attending physician information, disease-related knowledge, and medication precautions. The researcher collects baseline data.

On the day of admission

Assessment: Acquire disease-related information, and enhance patient disease awareness

During Hospitalization

2. Routine Health Education: 24-h fluid intake and output records, daily weight and measurement methods, sodium intake control, and medication efficiency and side effects

3. Establishment of IMCHB Nursing Team: providing education on heart failure-related knowledge

4. Appropriate Lifestyle Interventions: guiding patients on a low-sodium and low-fat diet and appropriate micronutrient supplementation, recommending regular aerobic exercise, adopting semi-sitting bed rest, and emphasizing the prevention of respiratory infections

5. Psychological Care: delivering effective psychological support to address patients’ negative emotions

During Hospitalization

First session (on the third day of admission)

1. Theoretical Lecturing: Conduct interactive health information sessions and provide visually appealing CHF health education manuals

2. Panel Discussion and Interactive Activity: Incorporate Q&A sessions to deepen patients’ understanding and memory of disease knowledge, and for patients with weaker learning abilities to ensure full comprehension and mastery.

Second session (on the fourth to fifth day of admission)

1. Address emotional needs and foster self-care confidence. healthcare professionals guide patients to share through open-ended questions

2. Sharing Inner Voices: Encourage patients to open up and share the challenges and troubles they have faced

3. Peer Interaction and Support Education: Invite patients with good nursing compliance or their family members to share their self-care experiences and key elements

4. Encourage family members to support patients, affirm their positive behavior

Third session (on the fifth day of admission)

1. Professional Skills Training: (a) Symptom Assessment and Identification: Instruct patients to accurately assess primary symptoms, such as dyspnea, lower limb edema, and sleep conditions; (b) Basic Vital Sign Measurement: respiratory rate, pulse, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, as well as methods and times for abdominal circumference and weight.

2. Interactive session with prizes for guessing knowledge about heart failure disease: Prepare a series of question cards to conduct an interactive quiz session in an appealing Q&A format

3. Scenario Interpretation and Interaction: Accurately identify symptoms of heart failure and provide on-site intensive training in first aid knowledge and skills.

Fourth session (one day before the discharge)

1. Assessing Patient Decision-Making Needs: Understand the past decision-making experiences and current concerns of patients thoroughly. Encourage them to set clearly phased goals

2. Scenario Guidance: Guide patients to examine current detrimental behaviors and habits to promote self-reflection and behavior improvement

3. Encourage patients to express their emotions to family members

On the discharge day/post-discharge

Discharge Education: Creating follow-up plans detailing visit times and content

1. The responsible nurse emphasizes to the patient the importance of monitoring disease symptoms, balancing diet, and exercising scientifically

2. Post-discharge, utilize structured telephone follow-up over three months, every two weeks, and guide patients on scheduling regular check-ups

Post-hospitalization intervention

Within 48 h after discharge, contact patients. Follow-up appointments are flexible, varying with patients’ condition and concerns

1. Follow-up actions include assessing self-care status, unmet needs, potential re-hospitalization and timing

2. Guideline Standard: Medical personnel conduct phone follow-ups within one week, one month, and three months after discharge, including self-care, current unmet needs, and potential re-hospitalization and timing

3.Home Continuous Supervision: Encourage patients to monitor and record their conditions during follow-ups, assign corresponding homework based on assessments, strengthen doctor-patient communication, comprehensively understand their conditions, and provide personalized psychological care