Gli aspetti psicologici dell’assistenza al paziente con Scompenso Cardiaco

Aim. The main aims of this study were (a) to describe anxiety and depression of heart failure (HF) patients and (b) examine the interactions between anxiety, depression, and self-care. Methods. A single centre, observational, cross-sectional, correlational study was carried out. HF patients were recruited with convenience sampling in a Cardiology Hospital in northern Italy between January and September 2018. Data were collected using a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, the Self-Care of HF Index (SCHFI), to identify the level of self-care, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), to measure anxiety and depression. Results. A sample of 102 HF patients was enrolled (62.7% male; mean age: 68.9 ±15.2 years). The analysis of self-care levels revealed alarming data: adequate levels of Self-Care Maintenance (>70) were implemented only by 8.8% (n=9) of the population and adequate levels of Self-Care Management (>70) were achieved by 15.9% (n=7) of the population. The HADS questionnaire revealed a mean anxiety level of 8.37 (±15.46) and a mean depression level of 7.14 (±24.87). The bivariate analyses between depression and the three components of self-care showed statistically significant correlations only in the domains of management (r=-0.41; p<0.001) and self-care confidence (r=-0.38; p<0.001). Conclusions. The results of this study contain innovative aspects that could improve the clinical practice of healthcare professionals and could lead to the development of personalized care that better meets the distinctive needs of HF patients