Interpretability of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale

Figures & data

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 1,023 COACH study participants

	n	%
Mean age in years (SD)	1,023	70.8 (11.4)
Male gender	639	62.5
Mean LVEF% (SD)	1,023	33.8 (13.7)
NYHA
2	514	50.2
3	471	46.0
4	38	3.7
Length of HF in months	1,023	Median 3.6 (IQR 0.7–46.5)
Depressive symptoms, CES-D score ≥16	405	39.6
Marital status
Living with a partner	619	60.5
Single	404	39.5
Educational level
Primary education	359	35.1
Secondary education and lower and secondary vocational education	516	50.4
Middle and higher education	148	14.5
Mean knowledge in HF (SD)	1,023	11.0 (2.3)
Management randomized to
Care as usual	338	30.0
Basic support	341	33.3
Intensive support	344	33.6

Abbreviations: COACH, Coordinating study evaluating Outcomes of Advising and Counseling in Heart Failure; IQR, interquartile range; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA, New York Heart Association functional classification; HF, heart failure; CES-D, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale.

Figure 1 Distribution of the EHFScBs scores at 12 months in relevant subgroups of HF (y-axis, number of patients; x-axis, EHFScBs score [0–100]).

Abbreviations: EHFScBs, European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale; HF, heart failure; NYHA, New York Heart Association functional classification; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; CES-D, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.

Table 2 Relation between adequate (EHFScBs score ≥70) versus inadequate self-care (EHFScBs score <70) and all-cause mortality and hospitalizations during 12 months of follow-up in 1,023 patients with HF

Outcomes	Adequate self-care (n=464)	Inadequate self-care (n=559)	P-valuea
	n (%)	n (%)
All-cause mortality	117 (25.2)	155 (27.7)	0.37
All-cause hospitalizations	241 (51.9)	326 (58.3)	0.04*
HF-related hospitalizations	113 (24.4)	147 (26.3)	0.48

Notes:

a P-value was calculated with the Pearson’s chi-square test.

* Signficant P-value.

Abbreviations: EHFScBs, European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale; HF, heart failure.

Figure 2 Correlations of change in the EHFScBs score during 12 months on the x-axis and the anchors on the y-axis.

Abbreviations: EHFScBs, European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale; MLHFQ, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; HF, heart failure; BNP, B-type natriuretic peptide.