Self-care in patients with chronic heart failure
Self-care in patients with chronic heart failure

Summary/Abstract: Aim. The study assessed health behaviour in relation to awareness and self-care of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure. Methods. The research group consisted of 109 patients with chronic heart failure. The research method was a diagnostic survey with the use of an original questionnaire and the SCHFI scale that assessed the level of independence of the respondents. The scores for this scale ranged from 0 to 100 points, and a higher score meant greater inde- pendence of the respondents. The answers were further analysed statistically. Results. The level of independence of the patients in terms of health behaviour was assessed on average at 61.0 points ± 14.9 points. The independence of the respondents in terms of health control was assessed slightly lower (on average at 52.8 points ± 16.4 points), while the respondents were assessed the lowest in terms of monitoring and controlling the symptoms of the disease (on average at 56.55 points ± 14.75 points). Conclusions. The health behaviour of patients with chronic heart failure is unsatis- factory. They regard pharmacological treatment as a sufficient strategy, and at the same time they do not follow the recommendations on the use of medications. Therefore, it is advisable to increase efforts towards education and thus higher awareness of patients regarding self-care and the consequences of non-compliance with recommendations.

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