Psychological distress and unsatisfied information needs in heart failure patients and ventricular dysfunction without previously diagnosed psychiatric disorder. Cross-sectional study in a national reference center

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease that acutely and progressively reduces physical functionality. The patient commonly suffers from intermittent relapses that increase the likelihood of comorbidities such as chronic insomnia, cognitive impairment, alterations in sexual response, psychological distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression disorder, and decreased self-care behaviors. The objective of this study was to identify the main needs for psychological support in patients with HF.
Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out. Participants were selected through consecutive non-probability samples. 150 patients with a diagnosis of HF who attended the Specialized Center for Heart Failure at the National Institute of Cardiology “Ignacio Chávez” were evaluated from November 2018 to April 2019, applying the inventories: Quality of life in patients with HF (Minnesota), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), psychological distress thermometer (visual analog scale) and the HF Patient Information Needs Inventory.
Results: 33% of the patients perceive a high level of psychological distress that requires immediate assistance and 26.6% report a medium level that requires monitoring. The main information needs reported by the patients were information on taking medications (53.7%) and managing psychological distress (43.9%).
Conclusion: Active assessment of psychological distress and unmet information needs is relevant in patients with heart failure, thus highlighting the importance of their identification and the correct design and application of evidence-based interventions aimed at their resolution.