Exploring Patient, Caregiver, and Healthcare Provider Perceptions of Caring for Patients With Heart Failure: What Are the Implications?
BACKGROUND
Heart failure (HF) is an incurable and frequently progressive disease. Symptoms of HF may impair the ability of patients to perform daily living activities. As HF progresses, patients typically increase their reliance on caregivers. The purpose of this study was to determine what roles patients and caregivers perceive and desire for themselves in managing HF and to compare and contrast these roles with those perceived by healthcare providers.


METHODS
A purposive sample (60 patients, 22 caregivers, and 11 healthcare providers) was enrolled in the study. Patients and caregivers individually participated in semistructured interviews, and healthcare providers participated in 1 of 2 focus groups.


RESULTS
Four key themes evolved from interviews with patients and caregivers-education on disease specifics, guidance to enhance quality of life, learning to cope with HF, and future outlook and care decisions-that may guide the development of caregiver interventions in HF. Healthcare providers in both structured focus groups regardless of rank order selected knowledge is powerful, adherence to treatment plan, and compliance with medication as the top 3 issues likely to have the greatest impact, and they identified education on the disease (knowledge is powerful) as the easiest strategy to implement for patients and caregivers in the management of HF.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions among caregivers of patients with HF are needed and should focus on education in family structures, family functioning, and skills training in family assessment and engagement.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
Betty M
BM
Kennedy
School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA.
Vijayendra
V
Jaligam
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
Beverly K
BK
Conish
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
William D
WD
Johnson
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
Brian
B
Melancon
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
Peter T
PT
Katzmarzyk
Caregivers; comprehensive healthcare; heart failure