Self-care behaviors of individuals with heart failure following an educational program

Older patients with Heart Failure (HF) are often frail, have limited mobility, and socially isolated, limiting ability to manage self-care and access clinic-based services. Patient self-management programs motivate patients to collaborate in care by teaching self-management. The purpose of this study is to describe elderly heart failure patients’ perceptions of self-care behaviors following an educational program on HF for two groups of HF patients, one with traditional care, and one attending a self-care support educational program. This is a replication of Jaarsma et al.’s (2000) study. The framework is Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing. The anticipated sample will be 50 elderly patients from a heart failure heart failure clinic in Northern Indiana. The Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale will measure self-care behaviors of patients with heart failure heart failure. The study will provide information on theory-based behavioral strategies to assist elderly people in recognizing and managing manifestations of heart failure.School of NursingThesis (M.S.