Efficacy of the PEAC-IC: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

A randomized parallel single-center clinical trial, blinded for the evaluation of the outcomes and statistical analysis. The current hypothesis is that PEAC-IC will improve self-care behavior, knowledge about heart failure, health-related quality of life, and the number of hospitalizations and searches for emergency services in the participants with heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is an insidious chronic syndrome that impacts the quality of life of people affected by it. One of the ways of controlling the progression of the syndrome is self-care, which involves behaviors to maintain health and to monitor and manage the symptoms of the disease. Several studies have shown that when the person with HF has adequate self-care, there is a reduction in the rate of morbidity and mortality, hospital readmissions, and an improvement in the quality of life. Despite the benefits of self-care, it is still deficient among people with HF in Brazil and worldwide. To improve self-care, educational interventions for the development of skills and behaviors must be performed by nurses, due to their role concerning health education. The Programa Educativo para o Autocuidado na Insuficiência Cardíaca - PEAC-IC is an intervention created to promote the achievement of positive results for people with HF. In a pilot study, PEAC-IC was assessed for acceptability and feasibility, with satisfactory preliminary results. Main objective: To compare the effect of the PEAC-IC with the usual care on self-care behavior, on knowledge about heart failure, on health-related quality of life, and on the number of hospitalizations and searches for emergency services due to HF. Method: This is a randomized parallel single-center clinical trial, blinded for the evaluation of the outcomes and statistical analysis. Participants (1. adults and elderly hospitalized for HF, adults and elderly with HF follow in outpatient care) who meet the participation criteria will be randomized in a simple random way between the intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive the usual care and the PEAC-IC, offered in one face-to-face session and five structured telephone contacts. The control group will receive only the usual care, which consists of guidance during hospital discharge and delivery of a discharge planning form and outpatient follow-up with medical and nursing consultations and exams when indicated. Both groups will have the outcome variables assessed at baseline, in the seventh week, in the third and sixth months after allocation in the trial. This study will be carried out at the Clinical Cardiological Unit with 42 active beds and a cardiomyopathy outpatient clinic that offer a multidisciplinary health care of approximately 70 clinically stable patients with HF of the Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia (IDPC), a public teaching hospital specializing in cardiovascular care. The research will be appreciated by the Research Ethics Committee and will only start after a favorable opinion at the University of São Paulo School of Nursing and the hospital.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Be regularly enrolled in the outpatient clinic;
2. Having a confirmed diagnosis of HF, regardless of the etiology or having been hospitalized due to clinical mismatch of the syndrome
3. Have clinical conditions that allow to participate in interviews, as assessed by the researcher;
4. Have an active telephone contact;
5. Be able to listen, speak, read and write portuguese, as assessed by the researcher;

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery (up to 60 days after the operation or requiring surgical intervention after inclusion in the study) or any surgical intervention that may increase the demands of self-care.
2. Patients proven to be diagnosed with COVID-19
3. Patients in palliative care, according to the evaluation of the institution's health team, at any time of the research, that is, even after inclusion and randomization.
4. Display adequate self-care and confidence in self-care (≥70 points) on the all EAC-IC subscales (SCHFI 6.2 brazilian version).