Effectiveness of a health educational intervention on self-care knowledge among patients with chronic heart failure

Abstract

Objective: To assess the baseline self-care knowledge of patients with chronic heart failure and evaluate the effectiveness of a health education intervention on knowledge improvement and retention. Subjects and methods: A one-group pretest–posttest educational intervention study was conducted among 70 hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure at the Department of Cardiology, Nam Dinh General Hospital, from October 2024 to August 2025. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire; internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (paired t-test/chi-square test) were used as appropriate, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Before the intervention, patients’ self-care knowledge was limited, with a mean score of 10.98 ± 3.73 out of 22; no patient achieved a good level, 55.7% were at a fair level, 34.3% at a moderate level, and 10% at a poor level. After the health education intervention, knowledge improved markedly, with the mean score increasing to 17.35 ± 2.36 and remaining at 17.42 ± 2.03 after one month. The proportion of patients achieving a good level increased to 57.1% immediately after the intervention and 47.1% after one month; there were no poor-level cases, and only 1.4% were at a moderate level. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with chronic heart failure had substantial limitations in self-care knowledge. The intervention significantly improved self-care knowledge, supporting the importance of regular education to enhance self-care knowledge and thereby contribute to better quality of life and treatment outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure.