Abstract
BackgroundPatients with heart failure (HF) must manage both a demanding treatment regimen and self-care, which may lead to a burden of treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of burdens from treatment and self-care and its associations with psychological distress and health-related quality of life. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study we collected self-report data from 125 patients diagnosed with HF, New York Heart Association classification II and III, who received care in a nurse-led HF outpatient clinic. Clinical variables were collected from the medical records. Data analyses comprised descriptive statistics and partial correlations. ResultsThe participants mean age was 67 (±9.2), most were male (74,4%) and the majority had reduced ejection fraction (EF 35.4 ± 10.8). The highest mean burden scores emerged for insufficient medical information (34.65, range 0–86), difficulty with health care service (34.57, range 0–81), and physical and mental fatigue (34.12, range 0–90). Significant positive associations were observed between physical and mental fatigue from self-care, role and social activity limitation, and psychological distress, and health-related QoL. ConclusionBurden of treatment is an important aspect of HF treatment as it contributes to valuable knowledge on patient workload. This study emphasizes the need to simplify and tailor the treatment regimens to alleviate the burden.
Highlights
Heart failure (HF) is a chronic progressive syndrome with multiple aetiologies, affecting approximately 2% of the western adult population in general, increasing to 5-9% in age > 65 years.[1]
HF requires the patient to adhere to a challenging medical treatment regimen and lifestyle changes, in Abbreviations: HF, heart failure; BoT, burden of treatment; HRQoL, health-related quality of life; HFrEF, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; HFmrEF, heart failure with middle range ejection fraction; HFpEF, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; NYHA, New York Heart Association; Patient Experience with Treatment and Selfmanagement (PETS), Patients Experience with Treatment and Self-management; HSCL, Hopkins Symptom Checklist; MLHFQ, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire
Monitoring health had a relatively high mean score (30.86 § 21.1). These results indicate that patients experience BoT because of their workload, external stressors and that the treatment and self-care affect their physical and mental well-being
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a chronic progressive syndrome with multiple aetiologies, affecting approximately 2% of the western adult population in general, increasing to 5-9% in age > 65 years.[1]. Patients with heart failure (HF) must manage both a demanding treatment regimen and selfcare, which may lead to a burden of treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of burdens from treatment and self-care and its associations with psychological distress and health-related quality of life. Methods: In this cross-sectional study we collected self-report data from 125 patients diagnosed with HF, New York Heart Association classification II and III, who received care in a nurse-led HF outpatient clinic. The highest mean burden scores emerged for insufficient medical information (34.65, range 0À86), difficulty with health care service (34.57, range 0À81), and physical and mental fatigue (34.12, range 0À90). Significant positive associations were observed between physical and mental fatigue from self-care, role and social activity limitation, and psychological distress, and health-related QoL. This study emphasizes the need to simplify and tailor the treatment regimens to alleviate the burden
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