Care Dependency in Patients with Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study in Spain

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive and debilitating condition that represents an ever-growing problem for health systems worldwide. HF patients feel that they are a burden on their families, they feel socially isolated and have a low perception of their health. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: (1) to explore the profile of care dependency in a representative sample of Spanish HF patients through the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), and (2) to identify correlates of care dependency in this population. Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 187 patients admitted for HF decompensation to the Hospital Clínico of Zaragoza (Spain). Results: Only 15% of our sample was highly or completely dependent on care from others. More specifically, our results indicate that HF patients felt a greater level of dependency on care from others when it comes to moving, getting dressed and undressed, maintaining good personal hygiene, participating in daily and recreational activities and being continent. Conclusions: We find association between the CDS categories that present a low score for care dependency in HF patients and the patients’ physical deterioration.

Influencing factors of care dependence in patients with coronary heart disease after percutaneous coronary intervention—A cross‐sectional study

“…In this study, patients who scored >44 were treated as highly care‐independent, and those who scored ≤44 were treated as highly care‐dependent. This scale has been validated in different populations and is found to be easy to use and quick to complete (Juárez‐Vela et al, 2020). This scale also has shown good construct validity in the Chinese population which established by Zhang et al (2014).…”

Sociodemographic Factors Affecting Older People’s Care Dependency in Their Daily Living Environment According to Care Dependency Scale (CDS)

“…The men belonging to a younger examined age group (average age of 77.46 ± 9.76 years) reported lower care dependency than those who belonged to the older group (average age of 83.05 ± 7.20 years). Moreover, the study proved that care dependency in men increases with their age [ 13 ]. An increase in care dependency, along with age, measured by means of the CDS was also observed in a study conducted by Lohrmann et al on a group of 1806 patients aged over 60 and hospitalized in various German hospitals.…”

“…The internal consistency of this scale was confirmed by a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.98). Previous studies also showed that the Polish version of the CDS can be used to compare and develop international standards of assessment as far as older patients’ needs are concerned [ 6 , 8 , 13 , 14 ].…”

“…The results of earlier studies with the application of the CDS conducted in the Netherlands confirmed the utility of this tool in identifying whether patients are at risk of developing pressure ulcers or not, both in home and institutional care environments [ 12 ]. The connection between care dependency and other concomitant diseases such as dyspnea or incontinence was confirmed in a study carried out in Spain on a group of older patients suffering from heart failure [ 13 ]. The utility of the CDS was also demonstrated in Asia among stroke survivors receiving emergency or long-term treatment [ 11 ], as well as in Poland among geriatric ward patients suffering from exacerbation of chronic diseases or the incidence of new health problems [ 8 ] and among patients with mental disorders receiving psychogeriatric treatment within hospitals or outpatient care settings [ 5 ].…”