Self-care of heart failure patients: practical management recommendations from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

Abstract

Self-care is essential in the long-term management of chronic heart failure. Heart failure guidelines stress the importance of patient education on treatment adherence, lifestyle changes, symptom monitoring and adequate response to possible deterioration. Self-care is related to medical and person-centred outcomes in patients with heart failure such as better quality of life as well as lower mortality and readmission rates. Although guidelines give general direction for self-care advice, health care professionals working with patients with heart failure need more specific recommendations. The aim of the management recommendations in this paper is to provide practical advice for health professionals delivering care to patients with heart failure. Recommendations for nutrition, physical activity, medication adherence, psychological status, sleep, leisure and travel, smoking, immunization and preventing infections, symptom monitoring, and symptom management are consistent with information from guidelines, expert consensus documents, recent evidence and expert opinion.

Keywords: Heart failure; Lifestyle; Patient education; Self-care.

Figure 1

Self‐care is an overarching concept based on three key concepts: (i) self‐care maintenance (e.g. taking medication as prescribed, physical activity), (ii) self‐care monitoring (e.g regular weighing), and (iii) self‐care management (e.g. changing diuretic dose in response to symptoms).

Figure 2

Guidance for self‐care monitoring and self‐care management of patients with heart failure (HF). GP, general practitioner.