Health literacy and self-care behaviour in patients with heart failure

A literature review

Authors

  • Klara Rebernik Grah National institute of Public Health, Center for the Management of Preventive Programs and Health Promotion, Trubarjeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1566-0498
  • Lijana Zaletel-Kragelj University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Zaloška cesta 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1014-7906
  • Jerneja Farkaš Lainščak National institute of Public Health, Center for the Management of Preventive Programs and Health Promotion, Trubarjeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, and General Hospital Murska Sobota, Rakičan, Dr. Vrbnjak Street 6, 9000 Murska Sobota, Slovenia https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6042-5743

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2024.58.2.3219

Keywords:

health promotion, health eduacation, chronic diseases, disease management, cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Introduction: In Slovenia, we are confronted with an increasing burden of heart failure. Effective self-care behaviours are crucial for reducing the burden of this disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the level of health literacy and self-care behaviours in patients with heart failure. 
Methods: Our scoping literature review was conducted using the following databases: COBISS, Google Scholar, Digital Library of Slovenia (dLib.si), PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, and Web of Science, in the period from November to December 2021. To search for relevant articles, we used a combination of key words: zdravstvena pismenost, srčno popuščanje and samooskrba, as well as the search syntax: ("health literacy" AND "heart failure" AND (("self-management" OR "self management") OR ("self-care" OR "self care"))). A narrative synthesis was conducted for qualitative interpretation of data.
Results: A total of 402 papers were identified, of which 19 papers were included in the final analysis. On average, 38% of patients with heart failure exhibited low levels of health literacy, which was most commonly measured with the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults-Short Form (S-TOFHLA). Higher levels of health literacy were most commonly associated with higher levels of knowledge about heart failure.
Discussion and conclusion: The results of the studies reviewed are inconsistent. There is a need to conduct longitudinal studies that would provide a clearer insight into the mechanisms of the role of health literacy in self-care behaviours among patients with heart failure and enable the development of health education interventions to raise the level of health literacy in the target population.

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Published

2024-06-15

How to Cite

Rebernik Grah, K., Zaletel-Kragelj, L., & Farkaš Lainščak, J. (2024). Health literacy and self-care behaviour in patients with heart failure: A literature review. Slovenian Nursing Review, 58(2), 120–133. https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2024.58.2.3219

Issue

Section

Review article