Self-Care Dynamics in Chronic Heart Failure Management

Effective management of chronic heart failure hinges on the active engagement of patients in daily health-promoting behaviours, encompassing medication adherence, dietary regulation, fluid management and symptom monitoring. Self-care in this context is a dynamic process shaped by individual capabilities, beliefs and psychosocial factors, as well as by the contributions of informal caregivers and the wider health-care team. Advances in telemonitoring and mobile health platforms have enabled more timely feedback and personalised support, yet successful implementation demands attention to patient education, health literacy and the development of self-efficacy. The interplay between physiological signals, behavioural responses and caregiver-patient interactions influences clinical outcomes, with better self-care associated with reduced hospital readmissions, improved quality of life and lower health-care costs. A growing evidence base emphasises the need for integrated, theory-driven interventions that account for cultural context, caregiver roles and the evolving capabilities of digital tools to sustain long-term self-management in diverse populations.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A validation study of the caregiver contribution instrument in a Korean context has demonstrated that family members play a quantifiable and reliable role across three key self-care domains: maintenance, monitoring and management. Through confirmatory factor analysis and rigorous reliability testing, the adapted scale showed robust psychometric properties, confirming that caregiver activities such as medication reminders, symptom assessment and coordination of care can be systematically measured. This work underscores the importance of recognising caregivers as active partners in the self-care continuum, supporting interventions that strengthen caregiver competencies and optimise patient outcomes in chronic heart failure.

Self-Care Dynamics in Chronic Heart Failure Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in self-care dynamics in chronic heart failure management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Self-care maintenance: Routine behaviours undertaken to preserve physiological stability, including adherence to medication, diet and daily exercise.

Self-care monitoring: The process of regular observation and recording of signs and symptoms, such as weight changes, fluid intake and breathlessness.

Self-care management: Decision-making and actions taken in response to symptom changes, including adjusting medications, seeking medical advice or changing lifestyle behaviours.

Care dyad: A paired unit of patient and informal caregiver whose interdependent interactions influence health outcomes and self-care practices.

References

1. Person with Heart Failure and Care Partner Dyads: Current Knowledge, Challenges, and Future Directions: State-of-the-Art Review. Journal of Cardiac Failure (2023).
2. Validity and reliability of the Korean caregiver contribution to self-care chronic illness inventory. Scientific Reports (2023).
3. Effectiveness of motivational interviewing on anxiety, depression, sleep quality and quality of life in heart failure patients: secondary analysis of the MOTIVATE-HF randomized controlled trial. Quality of Life Research (2021).
4. Caregiver Contribution to Heart Failure Self‐Care (CACHS). Nursing Open (2015).