title: Conceptualizing self-care in heart failure: a life course model of patient characteristics.
abstract: Self-care is fundamental to achieving optimal outcomes in patients with heart failure. Unfortunately, self-care among patients with heart failure is commonly poor, and patients have considerable difficulties performing self-care skills. Elderly patients, in particular, face a number of challenges trying to engage in adequate self-care. Heart failure self-care is an intricate process that is the result of decisions made on many levels by patients. Little is known about self-care decision making in patients with heart failure, and the existing literature does not take into account the complexity of interrelated factors that affect self-care decision making. In this article, a model of factors affecting self-care decision making that include aging status, psychosocial status, health literacy, current symptom status, and prior experiences is proposed.
authors.affiliation: RICH Heart Program, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0232, USA. dmoser@uky.edu
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003657:Decision Making; D004522:Educational Status; D005853:Geriatrics; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012648:Self Care / Q000639:trends*; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support