Infl uence of socio-demographic characteristics in the self-care of people with heart failure

Because of its positive impact on health, it is important to evaluate self-care to determine the necessary interventions and analyze their results. Population, sample, inclusion and exclusion criteria All patients with a medical diagnosis of HF, over 18 years old and of both sexes, hospitalized in the three institutions during the period established for data collection, were invited to participate in the research (sequential non-probability sampling). [...]sample calculation was not performed. The continuous clinical follow-up of patients with HF is recommended in the recent guidelines on the clinical management of HF, and the patient's successful performance of self-care is one of the main strategies of the health care plan(3), emphasizing its importance to the maintenance of healthier conditions. [...]the nursing interventions that aim to adequately meet the needs of the patient require careful planning (including an accurate assessment of these needs), with the choice of the best approach and a thorough assessment of its effectiveness in the optimization of self-care practices, translated into clinical results(17). Leisure activities had statistical association with education and family income, suggesting the possibility of a higher education level and, especially, a greater family income influencing the access to leisure activities. [...]it is important that low-cost leisure activities are offered to patients, who are often not aware of activities offered in the community itself.