Evaluation of care dependence and self-care behaviors in people with heart failure

Background and Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to establish the relationship between care dependency and self-care behaviours in patients with heart failure, and to explore the factors influencing this relationship. Material and Methods: The study was conducted between May 20, 2024, and March 20, 2025, in Tekirdağ at a city hospital using face-to-face interviews with 102 patients who visited the Cardiology Clinic and Cardiology Outpatient Clinic. The research data were collected using a "Questionnaire Form," the "Care Dependency Scale (CDS)," and the "European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFSCBS)." Results: The mean age of patients with heart failure was 69.39 ± 12.00 years, and 64.7% were male. It was found that 42.2% of the patients were able to perform self-care independently, 38.2% were able to perform it with assistance, and 19.6% were unable to perform self-care. High educational level, being married, being employed, and living with a spouse of the patients were associated with low levels of care dependency (p<0.05). Patients who were unable to perform self-care and those with a history of hospitalization due to heart failure were found to have high levels of care dependency (p<0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between EHFSCBS and the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), indicating that as self-care behaviors improved in patients with heart failure, CDS scores increased and consequently care dependency decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: Patients with heart failure exhibited a moderate level of self-care behaviors and were partially dependent in meeting their care needs. In evaluating care dependency and self-care behaviors of the patients, nurses should consider both personal characteristics (such as educational status and marital status) and disease-related characteristics (such as adherence to hospital follow-up visits and NYHA functional class). Nursing interventions should be strategically designed to enhance self-care behaviors and to reduce the level of care dependency in patients with heart failure. Keywords: Heart failure , care dependency, self-care behaviour, nurse