Methods: Sidani and Braden's approach will be used to develop a nursing intervention protocol. First, through 3 approaches: theoretical, empirical and experiential, the needs experienced Heart Failure patients with Cognitive Impairment in their self-care practices will be described, as well as the interventions that are susceptible to help. Afterwards, the nursing intervention protocol will be developed and applied in a pilot test where its acceptability and its feasibility will be evaluated. The theory: A Middle-Range Theory of Self-care of Chronic Illness will be used to guide this study.
Results: Preliminary results show that patients seem to be able to practice their self-care maintenance and monitoring with social and professional supports, as well as with some help in the day-to-day situation such as memory trick for medication intake. In another way, self-care management appear to be more complicated: many Heart Failure patients lack sufficient knowledge about their condition. Likewise, there is a need for improvement in interaction with health care professionals, as patients do not always understand and know how to apply knowledge they receive.
Conclusion: Aspects such as self-management of the disease and dealing with emergency and quick situations should be addressed more prominently in Heart Failure patients with Cognitive Impairment.