Author(s): Delgado, Bruno ; Lopes, Ivo ; Mendes, Tânia ; Lopes, Patrícia ; Sousa, Luís ; López-Espuela, Fidel ; Preto, Leonel ; Mendes, Eugénia ; Gomes, Bárbara ; Novo, André
Date: 2021
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.16/2902
Origin: Repositório Científico da Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo António (ULSSA)
Subject(s): gender; heart failure; nursing care; physical activity; self-care behaviour
Heart failure is often characterised by low exercise capacity and a great impairment of performance in the activities of daily living. The correct management of the disease can prevent the worsening of symptoms and promote a better quality of life. The aims of this study are to understand the relationship of gender and pathophysiological characteristics with self-care behaviour and to evaluate the self-care behaviour in a sample of Portuguese heart failure inpatients, using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI). A cross-sectional multicentre study enrolling 225 heart failure inpatients from eight hospitals from Portugal was performed. At admission, each patient's functional capacity was evaluated as well as their self-care behaviour, using the SCHFI Portuguese v6.2. A comparison between self-care behaviour with gender was performed. The patients' mean age was 68.4 ± 10.7 years old, 68% were male and 82.3% had reduced ejection fraction. A mean value of 47.9, 35.6 and 38.8 points was found in the SCHFI score of the sections self-care maintenance, self-care management and self-care confidence, respectively. Heart failure inpatients present inadequate levels of self-care behaviour. The results do not suggest a relationship between gender and pathophysiological characteristics with self-care behaviour.
