How do patients develop self-care behaviors to live well with heart failure?: A focus group interview study

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) requires distinctive lifelong self-care behaviors. However, self-care behaviors in the context of HF are poorly understood. Exploring how to develop self-care behaviors among patients with HF can help nurses understand patient perspectives and promote effective patient engagement with self-care for a healthy transition to living well with HF. Aim: To explore how patients with HF adhere to self-care and create self-care agency after HF diagnosis by examining their experiences. Methods: Focus group interviews (FGI) were conducted to explore views from patients with HF who attended a cardiology outpatient clinic. Five focus groups (FGs) with a total of 25 participants with a mean age of 66.64 ± 7.97 were interviewed. FGs ranged in size from three to seven individuals. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings: Analysis revealed four main themes: (a) Patient perspectives on living with HF; (b) Health information-seeking behaviors; (c) Motivation and readiness regarding HF self-care; and (d) Healthy transitions. This study shows that accepting and understanding HF is an important first step for patients to move forward with managing their disease and living well with HF. Conclusion: Our study shows that patients motivate themselves to engage in self-care behaviors when they perceive HF as a chronic disease with an uncertain and unpredictable illness trajectory and gain sufficient health information. Moreover, perceived social support and self-efficacy are essential components in creating HF self-care agency. Healthcare professionals should provide education and social support and encourage patients to adopt self-care behaviors. © 2018 Australian College of Nursing Ltd