Introduction: Heart failure is a major public health problem with an increasing incidence. The etiology and risk factors are mainly cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. The most common signs and symptoms are rapid fatigue, shortness of breath, edema, night urination. Patients need a life-long individual personalized treatment, where nurses play an important role. Disease require daily self-care, which is a major part of successful management of the disease; it is defined as the decision-making process that patient takes to maintain health and respond appropriately to symptoms. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to evaluate the knowledge, manner and ability of self-care of patients with heart failure in two Slovenian clinics for heart failure. Methods: A descriptive method of work has been used. The research instrument is a survey composed from the Dutch scales knowledge of heart failure, European behavioural self-care scales, demographic informations and questions about health education. Forty patients with heart failure at the heart failure clinics were interviewed. The analysis of the results has been done with the SPSS program. Results: At the Dutch Heart Failure Rating Scale, respondents answered 14 questions and more than 50 % correctly, but only one question answered incorrectly in 72,5 %. At the European Self-Care Behaviour Scale, respondents had the highest mean value in the statement: I take medication as prescribed: 1,12 and the lowest in statement: Every year I get flu shots: 3,5. The Most information reagrding non-pharmacological treatment was obtained from a cardiologist (42,5 %). Individual interview with the nurse (50 %) was cited as the most appropriate way of transmitting information, the fewest agreed with the statement about the presence of relatives in the learning process - average value: 4,47. The fewest agreed with the statement about the presence of relatives in the learning process - average value: 3,67. Most state that sufficient knowledge has been acquired during health education (80 %). Discussion and conclusion: The results show that knowledge of the disease is good: the majority of the patients surveyed know what the diagnosis of heart failure means and why it occurs. Knowledge about exercise and limiting fluid intake is the most difficult for the respondents. Most people surveyed disagree with the annual flu vaccination. We believe that the results of additional research carried out on a larger sample and before and after the health education process could create new health education programs or upgrade old ones. We suggest that health education be provided in outpatient rehabilitation as well.
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