A Supportive-Educational Intervention for Heart Failure Patients in Iran: The Effect on Self-Care Behaviours

Background. Chronic heart failure is a major health and social problem. The promotion of self-care behaviours can potentially assist patients to effectively manage this chronic condition and prevent worsening of the disease. Formal personalized educational interventions that provide support and take into consideration the cultural context are needed. Objective. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of a supportive-educational intervention on self-care behaviours of heart failure patients in Iran. Methods. This research was a prospective, randomized trial of a supportive-educational intervention. Eighty heart failure patients were randomly assigned to receive the supportive-educational intervention or usual care. The intervention consisted of a one-hour, nurse-led, in-person education session and postdischarge followup by telephone over three months. Data were collected at baseline, one, two, and three months. Results. The control and intervention groups did not differ in self-care scores at baseline ( ). Each of the self-care scores was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group at 1, 2, and 3 months ( ). There were significant differences in self-care behaviours over the three months, among participants in the intervention group. Conclusion. This study provides support for the effectiveness of a supportive-educational intervention to increase self-care behaviours among Iranian patients suffering from chronic heart failure. 1. Introduction Chronic heart failure (HF) is a significant health and social problem [1]. In the United States alone, nearly 6 million people suffered from HF in 2008, and this disease is becoming increasingly prevalent [2] with more than 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year [3]. Half of HF patients die within 5 years of the first onset of symptoms, and half (50%–60%) of the patients diagnosed with severe HF do not live longer than a year [4]. HF is the most common cause of hospitalization in those over the age of 65 years [5], and 54% of the patients are readmitted to hospital within 6 months of discharge [6]. HF also results in significant morbidity and disability, thereby generating permanent and high health care costs [7]. Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in Iran [8]; unfortunately, further accurate statistics describing the burden of HF are not available. Optimal medical management following a cardiovascular event remains underprescribed, and even more so in developing countries [8]. Similarly, nonpharmacological management and interventions are infrequently