Adherence of heart failure patients to exercise: barriers and possible solutions: a position statement of the Study Group on Exercise Training in Heart Failure of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

Abstract

The practical management of heart failure remains a challenge. Not only are heart failure patients expected to adhere to a complicated pharmacological regimen, they are also asked to follow salt and fluid restriction, and to cope with various procedures and devices. Furthermore, physical training, whose benefits have been demonstrated, is highly recommended by the recent guidelines issued by the European Society of Cardiology, but it is still severely underutilized in this particular patient population. This position paper addresses the problem of non-adherence, currently recognized as a main obstacle to a wide implementation of physical training. Since the management of chronic heart failure and, even more, of training programmes is a multidisciplinary effort, the current manuscript intends to reach cardiologists, nurses, physiotherapists, as well as psychologists working in the field.