Development of self-care educational material for patients with heart failure in Japan: a pilot study

Time to Revisit Heart Failure Self-Care: A Concept Analysis

Self-care is a central concept in heart failure management and nursing practice. Yet, the uptake of heart failure self-care has been uncritical and detached from broader contexts. Therefore, heart failure self-care was explored using Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis approach to identify antecedents, attributes, and consequences with attention to context, time, application, and meaning. The analysis suggests that heart failure self-care tends to focus on individual behaviors to the detriment of social and structural determinants of health. It also shifts responsibility away from the health care system and onto the individual. Moving forward, a more robust conceptualization of heart failure self-care is needed or possibly, the development of a new concept that focuses beyond the self .

Information needs and information seeking behaviors of patients and families in acute healthcare settings: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review was to explore the information needs and information seeking behaviors of patients and families from healthcare providers in acute healthcare settings in existing literature.

INTRODUCTION

A well-informed family can be crucial to a patient's capacity to cope with their diagnosis and hospital care during acute or chronic illness. Information is therefore critical to both the patient's and family's understanding of the illness and healthcare process. Providing appropriate and timely information can empower patients and families with knowledge and alleviate the anxiety and stress associated with a hospital admission. However, acutely ill patients and families in different acute care settings have considerable and differing information needs.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This scoping review included studies undertaken in acute healthcare facilities where patients were over 18 years of age and family members were of any sex, culture and ethnicity. Family was defined as anyone connected to the patient by blood, marriage or other significant relationship. Healthcare provider perspectives of family and patient information needs were excluded. Concepts related to type of information, timing of information, preferences for who delivers the information and method of information delivery. Qualitative and quantitative study designs published from 2010 to 2017 in English were included.

METHODS

Multiple databases were searched to find published and unpublished studies. A three-step search strategy was utilized. A charting table was developed for the data extraction process to record data relating to the review objectives. Specific data extracted included details on research design, geographical location, year of publication, characteristics of study population, research aims and outcomes as well as key findings related to patient and family information needs.

RESULTS

The scoping review included 109 studies from across 34 countries. Of these studies, 68 used quantitative research designs, 29 were qualitative in nature and 12 included studies reported using mixed methods. One study used an action research methodology. Nine studies were specific to family information needs. A majority of studies were conducted in the cancer care context, with other acute settings comprising intensive care units, surgical settings and individual medical or surgical units/wards within and across the hospital. While most of the included studies addressed the type of content patients and/or families prefer, a few studies explored the timing of information provision.

CONCLUSIONS

The international literature on information needs of patient and families comprises multiple published studies on differing aspects of the topic and situated within various acute care contexts. Despite the broad nature of the research, studies suggest that preferences regarding information content, timing of information delivery and choices regarding who delivers information vary across contexts and according to the patient/family member. The complexity behind this variation and strategies to address tailoring information delivery requires further in-depth research.

How effective is an in-hospital heart failure self-care program in a Japanese setting? Lessons from a randomized controlled pilot study

BACKGROUND

Although the effectiveness of heart failure (HF) disease management programs has been established in Western countries, to date there have been no such programs in Japan. These programs may have different effectiveness due to differences in health care organization and possible cultural differences with regard to self-care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot HF program in a Japanese setting.

METHODS

We developed an HF program focused on enhancing patient self-care before hospital discharge. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive the new HF program or usual care. The primary outcome was self-care behavior as assessed by the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS). Secondary outcomes included HF knowledge and the 2-year rate of HF hospitalization and/or cardiac death.

RESULTS

A total of 32 patients were enrolled (mean age, 63 years; 31% female). There was no difference in the total score of the EHFScBS between the two groups. One specific behavior score regarding a low-salt diet significantly improved compared with baseline in the intervention group. HF knowledge in the intervention group tended to improve more over 6 months than in the control group (a group-by-time effect, F=2.47, P=0.098). During a 2-year follow-up, the HF program was related to better outcomes regarding HF hospitalization and/or cardiac death (14% vs 48%, log-rank test P=0.04). In Cox regression analysis after adjustment for age, sex, and logarithmic of B-type natriuretic peptide, the program was associated with a reduction in HF hospitalization and/or cardiac death (hazard ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.90; P=0.04).

CONCLUSION

The HF program was likely to increase patients' HF knowledge, change their behavior regarding a low-salt diet, and reduce HF hospitalization and/or cardiac events. Further improvement focused on the transition of knowledge to self-care behavior is necessary.

Trial of a family-based education program for heart failure patients in rural Thailand

Background

Heart failure (HF) significantly impacts on the daily lives of patients and their carers. In Western society HF education programs have increased patient and carer knowledge and improved health-related quality of life. However, there is a paucity of such evidence in Asia. For example, to date no studies have been conducted in Thailand to investigate the potential benefits of a family-based education program on the health outcomes of HF patients and carers.

Methods

This randomised controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of an education program on knowledge, self-care and health-related quality of life of Thai HF patients and their carers. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, three and six months. Participants will be assigned by independent random allocation to an intervention (family-based education plus usual care) or a control (usual care) group. Analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis.

Discussion

This trial will be the first to evaluate the effectiveness of family-based education for HF patients and carers residing in rural Thailand. It attempts to advance understanding of family-based HF education and address the gap in service provision.

Trial registration

Thai Clinical Trial Registry TCTR20140506003

Perceptions of the need for improvements in healthcare after implementation of the Chronic Care Model

Older people with depression constitute a vulnerable group, and evidence from different parts of the world has demonstrated the need for healthcare improvements at the community level. In this study, we described team members' perceptions of improvements in the care of older people with depression living in the community after the implementation of the Chronic Care Model, with a focus on delivery-system design, self-management support, and teamwork. This follow-up study was based on focus-group interviews with healthcare team members. The data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Four themes emerged: (i) ensuring a pathway to the top level of the organization; (ii) the need for leadership from senior managers; (iii) the need to formalize collaboration; and (iv) increasing self-management. Senior managers should cooperate with specialist care givers and administrators in the community. They must also redesign the delivery system to facilitate teamwork and the self-management ability of older people with depression.

Insufficient self-care is an independent risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes in Japanese patients with heart failure

Self-care is a cornerstone for the successful management of heart failure (HF). The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of HF self-care on prognosis in Japanese patients with HF. A total of 283 HF outpatients (age 64 ± 14, 70% male, 52% HFrEF) were enrolled. We asked patients to answer about their adhevence to 5 self-care behaviors (medication, eating a low-sodium diet, regular exercise, daily weight check, and treatment seeking behavior). On the basis of the results, we classified patients into a good self-care group and a poor self-care group. The primary outcome was HF hospitalization and/or cardiac death. In total, 65% of patients were classified into the poor self-care group. During a median follow-up of 2 years, cardiac events occurred more frequently in the poor self-care group (22% versus 9.6%, P = 0.013). Poor self-care was an independent risk factor for cardiac events in Cox regression analysis adjusted for clinical parameters (hazard ratio = 2.86, P = 0.005). Poor self-care was also associated with an increased number of HF hospitalizations as well as an extended length of hospital stay for HF. Poor knowledge about HF was an independent determinant for poor self-care in multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.92, P = 0.019). Insufficient self-care is an independent risk factor for cardiac events in Japanese patients with HF.

Differences between heart failure clinics and primary health care

There is a paucity of knowledge concerning how people with heart failure experience differences between specialised heart failure clinics and primary healthcare in Sweden. This study aimed to describe differences regarding information and follow-up in heart failure clinics and primary healthcare. The study was conducted in Sweden in 2011. Four people (three men, one woman; aged 60 to 84) with heart failure (NYHA II) were interviewed. The interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed after referral from the heart failure clinic to primary healthcare, follow-ups were omitted. Still, the patients needed care, support and information. The findings are illuminated in four themes. The patients' varying and individual needs can be difficult to recognise and manage unless they are followed-up from either HFC or PHC on a regular basis.