Home-based nurse-led self-management support for heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.
Hakan Çelik, Betül Özen
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In 30 seconds
This parallel-group randomized controlled trial assessed a 12-week, nurse-led home programme of tailored self-management support and follow-up for adults aged 40–75 years with NYHA class I–III heart failure and ejection fraction >30% who could not access centre-based rehabilitation. The intervention involved home visits and telephone follow-up; controls received usual care. At 12 weeks, self-care scores favoured the intervention group (17.78 ± 2.93 vs 40.00 ± 6.49). Quality of life, self-efficacy, and 6-minute walk distance also favoured the programme, which the authors considered a potential way to support continuity of care.
Key findings
- At 12 weeks, self-care scores were 17.78 ± 2.93 in the intervention group versus 40.00 ± 6.49 with usual care.
- Quality of life, self-efficacy, and 6-minute walk distance also favoured the home-based programme.
- The abstract reports significant improvement in NYHA class and changes in some exploratory measures, including ejection fraction and body-fluid values.
Why it matters
Heart failure requires ongoing education and symptom monitoring, yet structured centre-based rehabilitation may not be accessible to everyone. This trial suggests that nurse-led home visits and telephone follow-up can support self-care and may help maintain support after specialist assessment. The findings are relevant to service models seeking to extend self-management support beyond specialist settings, while remaining specific to the population and programme studied.
What to keep in mind
The trial was small, with 32 participants in the intervention group and 31 in usual care, and outcomes were assessed at 12 weeks; longer-term effects are not reported in the abstract.