Heart Failure Self-care With the Aid of a Smartphone Application

Heart Failure Self-care With the Aid of a Smartphone Application

The purpose of this study was the development, and testing of a HF application that was used to provide self-care support to HF patients through a smartphone device. The study appraised current available literature on HF to determine best practices for promoting self-care of HF through direct communication with individuals with HF living at home. For the purpose of this study, smart phone communication was utilized. Smart phone applications allow patients to transmit physiological data, such as weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and symptom data to healthcare providers. Using a secure website, a healthcare worker can access the information and contact the patient via the mobile phone when their data is out of normal range. This study was novel in its approach from what is traditionally offered in that it supported patient self-care decisions by promoting symptom monitoring and offered both tactical and situational skills strategies through at the point education.

Inclusion Criteria:

• living in a non-nursing home setting
• primary providers of own self-care
• established diagnosis of heart failure
• cognitively intact
• able to speak/write English

Exclusion Criteria:

• not willing to use a smartphone
• not exhibiting acute decompensated heart failure symptoms