FP5 Poor Heart Failure Self-Care Increases the Likelihood, Frequency and Duration of Intra-Thoracic Impedance Threshold Crossings

Abstract

hospital serving 250 000 inhabitants in Sweden. The mean age was 77 years (range 44 to 94 years). A structured interview was carried out within the first 72 hours after hospital admission. In conjunction with the interviews, patients completed the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS), NYHA-class was assessed and patient age and sex was registered. The EHFScBS consists of 12 items tapping self-care behaviour. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ("completely agree" to "don't agree at all") and ratings are summed to a total score ranging from 12 to 60 (higher scores indicate poorer self-care behaviour). Mortality rate was recorded after 12 months. Results: The mean score measured by EHFScBS for the patients who died was 29 and 36 for those who survived. A logistic regression model showed that poorer self-care behaviour independently predicted decreased risk for death within 12 months (10%; p<0.01), when controlling for age, sex and NYHA-class. Conclusions: Our results indicate that self-care behaviour as measured by EHFScBS is negatively associated with survival in patients with chronic heart failure. Hence, efforts to support self-care behaviour, by means of for example educational and counselling strategies, should be questioned and further explored.