Community dwelling patient and caregivers' self-care needs in relation to heart failure: A qualitative systematic review.

Abstract

Review Questions/Objectives: The objective of this qualitative systematic review is to synthesise the best available evidence related to ‘self-care needs’ from the perspective of patients who have heart failure and that of their lay caregivers. To this end, our research questions are: 1) What is the evidence on self-care needs in heart failure from the perspective of patients who experience this condition? 2) What is the evidence on self-care needs in heart failure from the perspective of lay carers who support patients who experience this condition? 3) What is the evidence on the way in which older age is perceived by patients and lay carers to affect self-care needs in heart failure? . Inclusion Criteria: Types of Participants: For inclusion, studies should involve adults over the age of 18 years who have heart failure, irrespective of age, gender, context, treatment or severity of heart failure, in order to include the widest possible range of circumstances facing people with heart failure. Phenomena of Interest: To support consistent interpretation between the research team, we will define data or themes relevant to the phenomena of interest as being: ‘findings related to any process,phenomena or construct that pertains to meeting the self-care needs of heart failure in patients or support of self-care needs by lay caregivers.’ Context: It is well recognised that self-care needs are influenced by contextual or cultural factors such as where the patient lives and the availability of social support, as well as the type of patient education and professional support provided; evidence related to the context in which specific self care needs are expressed, and the effectiveness with which they are met, will be sought.