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Learning Objective 1: understand the correlation between heart failure knowledge, self-care decision-making, and quality of life in patients with heart failure.
Learning Objective 2: understand the effectiveness of a pre-discharge education program on self-care decision-making and quality of life.
Patient education is the best strategy to promote self-care of patients. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a pre-discharge heart failure (HF) education program on self-care and quality of life 8 weeks after discharge from hospital in patients with heart failure.
Methods:
The study uses a quasi-experimental research design. A non-probability sample of 120 inpatients is expected to recruit from the cardiology unit of a medical center located in Southern Taiwan. Inclusion criteria include: (1) a diagnosis of HF with a class of New York Heart Association II or III, (2) able to communicate in Mandarin or Taiwanese, and (3) able to perform self-care behaviors. Participants in the experimental group receive a regular pre-discharge care and a one-on-one health education program, while those in the control group receive the regular care only. Baseline data are collected on the 2nd day of hospitalization and the posttests are on the day before discharge and 8 weeks after discharge. Instruments include Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale (DHFKS), Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI), and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ).
Results:
Currently, 23 participants in the control group have completed the baseline questionnaire. The participants have poor mean scores on DHFKS (5.57±4.84 ), self-care maintenance (60.33±13.19 ), self-care management (41.85±24.83), self-care confidence (53.99±23.18), and MLHFQ (50.43±20.30). The Spearman correlation analyses show that DHFKS is significantly associated with the three self-care variables and MLHFQ (r= .53 to .77). Self-care management is significantly associated with MLHFQ (r= .49).
Conclusion:
The effect of the education program on self-care and quality of life will be discussed. The initial study findings support the view that heart failure knowledge is important to promote better self-care decision-making and quality of life in patients with heart failure.