Unblinded randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program in nursing (educational meetings, home visits, telenursing and a printed book) in the improvement of self-care behaviors in patients with heart failure was evaluated. Thirty-three people participated in the intervention group and thirty in the control group. At the beginning and at the end of the study (ninth month), Nancy Artinian's Heart Failure Self-care Behaviors Scale was applied to assess the level of self-care. 66.0% of the intervention group versus 26.6% of the control group improved the self-care score by at least 20% (p<0.001). The Number Needed to Treat was 2.5. The findings suggest that the educational intervention has beneficial effects on the self-care behaviors of people with heart failure.

Nº 30 Abril 2013 Página 184 Conclusión. Fue deficiente la capacidad de agencia de autocuidado en la mitad de los participantes. Los factores básicos condicionantes, como la fracción de eyección, edad y estado civil, están asociados a una mejor capacidad de agencia de autocuidado.

This article shows the application of a conceptual model, in which the nurse uses tools to evaluate, identify, analyze and interpret all effective and non effective answers and the stimuli of neurologic function. It gives information to identify adaptationproblems and obtain a nursing diagnosis giving an adequate care, to reach adaptation in the person and evaluate in a proper way the care given.