Patient Perceptions of a Heart Failure Action Plan: A Qualitative Study

Introduction Individuals with heart failure have difficulty evaluating their symptoms and understanding when to seek health care or to implement self-care activities. The purpose of this qualitative study is to inform the development of a Heart Failure Action Plan by individuals living with heart failure. Methods The proposed study used a prospective qualitative design using a grounded theory approach to understand the process of HF symptom management and the development of an action plan. Specifically, patients were interviewed regarding clinical indicators of self-reported symptoms, adherence to medication regimen, and physiologic changes to develop an individualized heart failure action plan. Demographic data of participants was collected including age, ethnicity, gender, medications, vital signs, heart failure history, and heart failure etiology. Results Participants reported that the color zones (red, yellow, green) of the action plan were helpful to “give you an idea of what you are supposed to do” with “weight, swelling, symptoms” and to evaluate “⋯target weight, keep tracking of medicine helps figure out symptom”. Participants suggested adding content for “more exercise, talk about what you eat, cough, chest tightness, dizziness, with swelling” and “more specifics, on a healthy diet, and encouragement, for, some form of activity, if only just walking” and “bigger letters, understandable,⋯contact someone to help you” and “I would like it to be small to be placed in a wallet.” Conclusions Participants provided their perceptions of the HF action plan and their feedback is instrumental in modifying the action plan for use in a broader HF patient population to assist patients in self-management of their condition, including the understanding of when to seek health care.