Perceived social support and self-care in patients hospitalized with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Rehospitalization of heart failure patients is often considered the result of inadequate self-care yet only one study documents superior outcomes with better self-care.

AIMS: If inadequate self-care is related to hospitalizations, then hospitalized heart failure patients should have lower self-care skills than non-hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceived social support and self-care characteristics of patients hospitalized with an exacerbation of heart failure. The self-care of heart failure index (SCHFI) and medical outcomes study of social support (MOS-SS) were the key instruments used in the research.

METHODS AND RESULTS: This descriptive study used t tests and multiple regression to analyze the data. Results were compared with non-hospitalized heart failure patients in another study. Perceived social support ( t=-4.007, df=211, P<0.001) and self-care maintenance ( t=-3.343, df=220, P<0.002) scores were lower in the hospitalized participants than the comparison group. Self-care confidence was the only variable significantly related to perceived social support ( β=0.210, t=2.210, P<0.30).

CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the premise that heart failure rehospitalizations are related to inadequate self-care.