title: Protocol for a block randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve heart failure care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the design of a randomised controlled trial conducted to evaluate a culturally tailored, nurse-led educational intervention.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Self-care strategies are critical to improving health outcomes in heart failure. The family unit is crucial in collectivist cultures, but little is known about involving the family in the self-care of patients with heart failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Involving the family in the self-care of heart failure is a novel approach. To the authors' knowledge, no one has evaluated it using a randomised controlled trial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A valid comparison of outcomes between the control group and the intervention group involved in the study was provided in this trial. The chosen design, randomised controlled trial, enabled the assessment of the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of a family self-care intervention in a collectivist culture was shown to improve clinical and quality outcomes of patients with heart failure. Considering the individual and the community needs is vital in improving these outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Rafic Hariri School of Nursing at the American University of Beirut.
authors.forename: Hiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deek
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.affiliation: Rafic Hariri School of Nursing, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Samar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noureddine
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Sally C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.affiliation: Rafic Hariri School of Nursing, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Ghina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Al Arab
authors.affiliation: Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Samer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kabbani
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Wael
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chalak
authors.affiliation: Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Nadim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Timany
authors.affiliation: St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore MD, US.
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D058996:Quality Improvement; D018401:Sample Size
keywords: culture; family; heart failure; nursing; protocol; randomised controlled trial; readmission; trial