Journal of

Backgrounds and Aim: Self-care behaviors are an important aspect of Heart Failure (HF), management, Educating self-care behaviors to HF patients have to be a part of routine management of HF in hospitals and health care Centers. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an educational intervention on self-care behaviors and its perceived benefits and barriers in patients with HF in Tehran.

Materials and Methods: This is was an interventional study. A Simple sampling was conducted on 180 outpatients (90 intervention group and 90 control group) with HF referring to Shaheed Rajaee Heart Hospital in Tehran to participate in this study. Before and 2 months after implementing the educational program through group discussion, face to face interview, educational movies and pamphlets, a self-prepared questionnaire was completed by the participants. Validity and reliability of the scales were approved. SPSS software was used for the purpose of data entry, manipulation, and analysis.

Results: After implementing the educational program, patients' self-care (74.5%) and perceived benefits (19.35%) were significantly increased (P<0.0001) and their perceived barriers (27.76%) were significantly decreased (P<0.0001). After intervention there was no significant difference in these variables in control group.

Discussion and Conclusion: In order to design effective educational programs, healthcare professionals and nurses should better understand self-care behaviors in HF patients and their determinants and develop educational interventions. Promoting perceived benefits and barriers of these behaviors are priorities of the program. Healthcare professionals and nurses applying such educational programs can have a more effective role in promoting self-care behaviors and consequently quality of life of HF patients.

  Background and Aim: Gender in performing self-care behaviors is a non- modifiable factor. Despite the belief that women are better than men in self-care, there is little evidence to challenge this view. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of self-care behaviors in men and women with heart failure.

  Materials and Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 239 patients with heart failure were assessed. Data were collected by Self-Care Heart Failure Index, Cardiac Depression scale, and Mini Mental status Examination questionnaires . Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 , descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis , t-test and Logistic regression ) .

  Results: Mean score of self-care behaviors in men and women was 44/60±12/05 and 39/71 ± 9/88 from 100 total score, respectively. In the regression model, gender was not a significant predictor of self-care in any dimensions but, there was a significant relationship between sex and self-care confidence (OR=0/52, CI=0/27-1/03), which indicated that women as compared to men have less chance of self-care behaviors due to their status of self-confidence.

  Conclusion : In attention to the point that women had worse self-care behaviors in all dimensions, it is suggested more attention be paid in identifying patients at risk of poor self-care behaviors while planning care and treatment for them, since they are more vulnerable and have more emotional effects of disease and gender should be regarded as a predictive factor.