Self-Care Management in Heart Failure Patients
Summary
Self-care management in heart failure encompasses the behaviours and decisions that patients undertake to maintain physiological stability, detect and respond to symptoms, and adhere to treatment regimens. Core components include daily weight monitoring, dietary modifications (notably fluid and sodium restriction), regular physical activity, medication adherence and prompt communication with healthcare providers when warning signs arise. Effective self-care is underpinned by patient education, confidence in one’s ability to manage illness (self-efficacy) and supportive care environments. Multidisciplinary approaches—combining nursing, cardiology, pharmacy and allied health—have been shown to reinforce self-care skills, reduce rehospitalisations and improve quality of life. Socioecological frameworks emphasise the interplay between individual factors (knowledge, cognition, motivation), microsystem influences (family support, care teams) and broader contexts (health literacy, access to care). Recent advances harness telehealth technologies to deliver coaching and remote monitoring, expanding opportunities for timely intervention. Given the global burden of heart failure, strengthening self-care practices remains a priority for reducing morbidity, optimising resource use and enhancing patient autonomy across diverse healthcare settings.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A large cross-sectional study in an Ethiopian tertiary centre assessed over 340 ambulatory patients using a validated nine-item self-care behaviour scale. It revealed that nearly three quarters of participants exhibited poor self-care overall, with deficits most pronounced in exercise adherence, daily weight checks and symptom-triggered healthcare contact. Multivariable analysis identified rural residence, illiteracy, prior hospitalisation and polypharmacy (five or more concurrent medications) as significant predictors of inadequate self-care. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing education, access barriers and medication burden to bolster self-care in high-risk populations.
Self-Care Management in Heart Failure Patients publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in self-care management in heart failure patients across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Self-care maintenance: Behaviours performed to preserve physiological stability, such as medication adherence, diet and weight monitoring.
Self-care management: The process of recognising symptoms, evaluating their significance and responding appropriately, including seeking professional help.
Telehealth: Delivery of healthcare services and education remotely via communication technologies, including telephone and video conferencing.
Polypharmacy: Concurrent use of multiple medications, often defined as five or more, which can complicate adherence and increase risk of adverse events.
Self-efficacy: A patient’s belief in their ability to perform specific self-care behaviours effectively.
References
- Characterization of Telecare Conversations on Lifestyle Management and Their Relation to Health Care Utilization for Patients with Heart Failure: Mixed Methods Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2024).
- Individual and systems-related factors associated with heart failure self-care: a systematic review. BMC Nursing (2024).
- What frail, older patients talk about when they talk about self-care—a qualitative study in heart failure care. BMC Geriatrics (2023).
- Prevalence and predictors of poor self-care behaviors in patients with chronic heart failure. Scientific Reports (2024).
About these summaries
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