Saba Abdolmaleki1, Alireza Mohajjel Aghdam2, Hadi Hassankhani3, Mohamadreza Taban Sadeghi4
Aim: Heart failure is a chronic and progressive disease of the older adults in the world. The costs of the treatment of the patients are a burden on society. One way to reduce the costs is self-care. Moreover, one of the goals of the treatment in chronic patients is to improve their quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to investigate relationship between the self-care and QOL of Iranian older adults with heart failure. Material and Method: This study was a descriptive correlational study. The desired sample size was calculated considering the previous studies (r = 0.3) and using G*Power 3.1 software, which was obtained equal to 90 participants. However, a sample size of 120 participants was finalized considering the 20%-probability of loss. Sampling was based on convenience sampling method. The participants answered three questionnaires included demographic questions, Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF). Finally, data were entered in SPSS16 software and were analyzed by Pearson correlation. Results: Mean scores obtained in three subscales of self-care (maintenance, management, self-confidence) were 28.58 ± 11.54, 53.12 ± 23.41, 51.98 ± 15.88, respectively. The QOL score was achieved 53.27 ± 18.09. Physical and emotional QOL for the patients had an inverse and significant relationship with their self-confidence. The overall QOL had a positive and significant relationship with maintaining self-care. Discussion: Self-care of older adults with heart failure was less than desirable in all three subscales of self-care. As the results indicate the relationship between self-care and QOL as well as some demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients, using methods for improving self-care can be associated with improved QOL.
