The impact of a self-management patient education program for patients with chronic heart failure undergoing inpatient cardiac rehabilitation

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate a patient-centred self-management educational group program for patients with chronic systolic heart failure as compared to usual care education during inpatient cardiac rehabilitation. MethodsA multicentre cluster randomized controlled trial of 475 patients was conducted. In the intervention condition, patients received the new self-management educational group program whereas in the control condition, patients received a short lecture-based educational program (usual care). The primary outcome was patients‘ self-reported self-management competence. Secondary outcomes included self-management health behaviour, health-related quality of life, and treatment satisfaction. Patients completed self-reported outcome measures at admission, discharge, and after 6 and 12 months. ResultsThere was a significant small between-group intervention effect on certain dimension of patients’ self-management competence (self-monitoring and insight) in short term (p<0.05). Furthermore, significant small effects were observed for treatment satisfaction at discharge as well as symptom monitoring after 6 months (p<0.05) and by trend on symptom monitoring and physical activity after 12 months. ConclusionsThe patient-centred self-management program might be more effective in certain self-management outcomes than a usual care education in both short-term and long-term periods. Practice implicationsTherefore, such programs may be considered for dissemination within cardiac rehabilitation.