title: Effects of a supportive educational nursing care programme on fatigue and quality of life in patients with heart failure: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with heart failure that is easy to ignore. In addition, fatigue may affect patients' physical function and psychosocial conditions that can impair their quality of life. An effective nursing care programme is required to alleviate patients' fatigue and improve their quality of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of a supportive educational nursing care programme on fatigue and quality of life in patients with heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomised controlled trial design was used. Ninety-two patients with heart failure were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=47) or a control group (n=45). The patients in the intervention group participated in 12 weeks of a supportive educational nursing care programme including fatigue assessment, education, coaching self-care and evaluation. The intervention was conducted by a cardiac nurse during four face-to-face interviews and three follow-up telephone interviews. Fatigue and quality of life were assessed at the baseline and 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks after enrollment in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants in the intervention group exhibited a significant decrease in the level of fatigue after 12 weeks, whereas those in the control group exhibited no significant changes. Compared with the control group, the intervention group exhibited a significantly greater decrease in the level of fatigue and significantly greater improvement in quality of life after 12 weeks of intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The supportive educational nursing care programme was recommended to alleviate fatigue and improve quality of life in patients with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Chieh
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jin-Long
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chao
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan afchiou@ym.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ai-Fu
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Chiou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Fatigue; heart failure; quality of life; supportive nursing care