title: The association between regular symptom monitoring and self-care management in patients with heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Symptom monitoring is considered the first step toward self-care management (actions to manage altered symptom status) to avert worsening heart failure (HF). However, empirical evidence demonstrating that symptom monitoring leads to adequate self-care management is lacking. We examined the relationship of adherence to regular symptom monitoring with adequate self-care management in HF patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 311 HF patients (60 years, 35% women) were divided into 3 groups by adherence to 2 symptom monitoring behaviors (monitoring daily weights and lower extremity edema). Patients who were adherent to both symptom monitoring behaviors formed the adherent group (15.1%). Those adherent to either of the symptom monitoring behaviors formed the partially adherent group (28.9%). Those adherent to neither of the symptom monitoring behaviors formed the nonadherent group (56.0%). The adjusted odds of performing adequate self-care management were increased by 225% (95% confidence interval, 1.13-4.48) and 344% (95% confidence interval, 1.55-7.62) for the partially adherent and adherent symptom monitoring groups, respectively, compared with the nonadherent group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adequacy of self-care management was predicted by adherence to symptom monitoring behaviors. This finding suggests that regular symptom monitoring facilitates performance of adequate self-care management, which may contribute to a decrease in preventable hospitalizations in HF.
authors.affiliation: Kyoung Suk Lee, PhD, RN, MPH Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Terry A. Lennie, PhD, RN, FAAN Professor, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Sandra B. Dunbar, DSN, RN Professor, School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Susan J. Pressler, PhD, RN Professor, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Seongkum Heo, PhD, RN Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock. Eun Kyeung Song, PhD, RN Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, Department of Nursing, University of Ulsan, South Korea. Martha J. Biddle, PhD, APRN Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Debra K. Moser, DNSc, RN, FAAN Professor and Gill Endowed Chair of Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors.forename: Kyoung Suk
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lennie
authors.forename: Sandra B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Dunbar
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pressler
authors.forename: Seongkum
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Eun Kyeung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Martha J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Biddle
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moser
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report