Quality of life when living with heart failure.
Heart failure is a chronic condition and consumes a huge portion of health care expenditures. Increased life expectancy combined with increasingly effective treatments for coronary artery disease and hypertension will increase the number of patients with heart failure. Efforts are aimed at helping patients better care for themselves. Nurses can design interventions that focus on education and self-management of complex treatments, spiritual support, and clinical relationships based on trust. It is essential that health care providers direct and evaluate interventions that promote improved QOL for patients and families. Nurses also need to continue to study the effects of education and self-care interventions so that care for heart failure patients is evidence based.
Finch
Nancy
N
College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, 99 Jonathan Lucas Street, PO Box 250160, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. finchn@musc.edu
Sneed
Nancee
N
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology