The Relationship among self-care, disease knowledge and hope in patients with heart failure

Abstract

Background: Self-care, disease knowledge, and hope have been considered critical concepts in health-related research. So that all three of them are considered solutions to control heart failure and reduce its complications. The present study was conducted to determine the correlation of self-care with disease knowledge and hope in heart failure patients referred to Imam Reza Clinic, Shiraz, Iran. Methods: In this correlational and cross-sectional descriptive study, the data of 85 heart failure patients referred to Imam Reza Clinic, Shiraz, Iran in 2021 were examined. Heart failure patients' self-care instruments based on Orem's self-care theory, the Heart Failure Knowledge Scale-Persian version, and the Heart Hope Index-Persian version were used in the present study. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used. Results: Out of 85 heart failure patients, 56.50% of the samples were male, and 43.50% were female. The mean and standard deviation of the self-care score was 196.54±25.54, the heart failure knowledge score was 4.49±2.59, and the score of hope was reported as 32.41±4.52 in these patients. The analysis of the Pearson correlation coefficient indicates the presence of a positive and significant correlation between "self-care and hope" (r=0.506, p<0.0001), "heart failure knowledge and hope" (r=0.409, p<0.0001), and self-care and heart failure knowledge" (r=0.407, p<0.0001). Conclusions: Considering the positive and significant correlation between "self-care and heart failure knowledge", "self-care and hope", and "heart failure knowledge and hope", it seems to be necessary for doctors and nurses to pay attention to providing educational programs regarding increasing the heart failure knowledge to improve self-care and hope in heart failure patients.