title: Uncertainty in illness among patients with chronic heart failure is less in person-centred care than in usual care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) experience uncertainty regarding the treatment and characteristics of their illness. Person-centred care (PCC) emphasizes patient involvement in care. We have previously shown that PCC improved outcomes such as length of hospital stay and activities of daily living in patients with CHF. The impact of PCC on self-reported uncertainty in illness among patients hospitalized for CHF is still unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether PCC is associated with less self-reported uncertainty in illness compared with usual care in patients hospitalized for worsening CHF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a controlled before-and-after design, eligible CHF patients were assigned to either a usual care group or a PCC intervention group. Patient-reported uncertainty in illness was assessed at hospital discharge with the Cardiovascular Population Scale (CPS). The CPS consists of two domains: 1) Ambiguity (about illness severity); and 2) Complexity (of treatment and system of care).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and forty-eight patients were included in the study; 123 in the usual care group and 125 in the PCC intervention. The PCC group had better scores than the usual care group in the CPS domains complexity (M=15.2, SD=4.7 vs. M=16.8, SD=4.7; p=0.020) and ambiguity (M=27.8, SD=6.6 vs. M=29.8, SD=6.9; p=0.041).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with CHF were less uncertain in their illness after PCC, which may help to equip and empower patients to manage their illness. Together with earlier findings of shortened hospital stay and improved activities of daily living, this indicates that PCC should be a standard approach for hospital care of patients with worsening CHF.
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Health and Care Science, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dudas
authors.forename: Lars-Eric
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Swedberg
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taft
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaufelberger
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ekman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035501:Uncertainty
keywords: Chronic heart failure; ambiguity; complexity; person-centred care; self-reported; uncertainty