| Abstract |
Introduction People with heart failure (HF) employ self-management to preserve their health, prevent adverse outcomes, and maximize quality of life. Little is known about whether effective self-management improves patients’ quality of life. We examined whether patients who report better self-management would report higher quality of life at present and after 9 months. Methods Participants (n=202) with stable HF (68% male) aged 68 years (SD = 9.4) were administered the Self-Care for Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) at a baseline study visit. The SCHFI and KCCQ were then administered 9 months later. Self-management was defined as self-care maintenance score and quality of life as the overall quality of life score. Control variables included medical comorbidities, NYHA HF class, age, race, and gender. Results Linear regression revealed that NYHA classification, age, education, race, and sex together accounted for 17% of the variability in quality of life (p < .0005). Adding baseline quality of life explained an additional 30% of the variability (p < .0005). After controlling for these variables, self-care maintenance was not a significant predictor of quality of life (β = .03; p = .67). Discussion Self-management did not predict quality of life in patients with HF, suggesting that it may be more influenced by other factors such as disease severity. However, effective self-management is needed to prevent adverse events. If patients with HF do not perceive a connection between self-management and quality of life, this could contribute to less adherence to
|
| Modified Abstract |
Treatment of heart failure (HF) uses patient self-management. We examined whether self-management would predict subsequent quality of life (QOL). Participants (n=202) with HF (68% male) aged 68 years (SD = 9.4) completed the Self-Care for Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) at a baseline study visit and after 9 months. Linear regression revealed that controlling for NYHA classification, age, education, race, sex, and baseline QOL, self-management did not predict QOL (β = .03; p = .67), suggesting that it may be more influenced by other factors such as disease severity. However, effective self-management prevents adverse events. If patients with HF do not see a connection between self-management and QOL, this could reduce adherence to self-care.
|
