Self-management and Cognitive Impairment in Adults with Heart Failure Successful self-management of heart failure (HF) depends on self-management that includes adherence to the treatment regimen and effective decision making and corrective action when HF symptoms are exacerbated. Recent reports indicate that 25-50% of HF patients have unrecognized cognitive impairment, yet little is known about the effects of this unrecognized cognitive impairment on patient self-management and the resulting impact on health and health service use. Using the Biopsychosocial Model of HF Self-management, our aim is to assess the relationship between cognitive impairment, patient self-management, health, and health service use in a sample of 400 men and women with NYHA Class 2 and 3 HF. Research questions are: 1) How is cognitive impairment (memory, attention, global and executive function) related to various aspects of impaired self-management (knowledge of adherence, adherence to sodium restriction and medications, symptom monitoring of weight changes, and decision and action to seek care)? 2) How are these relationships altered when adjusting for medical, demographics, and psychosocial factors (illness severity, comorbidity, physical, sensory and sleep impairments, previous HF hospitalization;age, gender, ethnicity, SES, education, health literacy;social support/caregiver assistance, depression, and anxiety)? 3) What are the relationships among degree of cognitive impairment, quality self-management, health status (severity of HF symptoms, cardiopulmonary health status, HF-related quality of life), and health service use (physician visit/call, emergency room use and hospitalization)? Data will be collected at baseline, during 21 days of adherence monitoring, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12-month follow-up. Although previous studies have examined failures of patient self-management by interviewing patients after hospital admission for a HF exacerbation, this study is innovative in that it will examine relationships among cognitive function, self-management effectiveness and health outcomes in a prospective study. The prospective nature will allow for the study of patients that effectively self-manage their treatment as well as patients whose self-management is less effective. In addition, the effect of cognitive impairment on both the maintenance of the complex HF treatment regimen and the management of worsening symptoms will be evaluated. Conclusions from this study will have important implications for screening HF patients for cognitive impairment, identifying high risk patients, and designing and implementing patient self-management interventions targeted to cognitively impaired HF patients to improve health outcomes.

Public Health Relevance

Self-management and Cognitive Impairment in Adults with Heart Failure Successful self-management of heart failure (HF) depends on self-management that includes adherence to the treatment regimen and effective decision making and corrective action when HF symptoms are exacerbated. Recent reports indicate that 25-50% of HF patients have unrecognized cognitive impairment, yet little is known about the effects of this unrecognized cognitive impairment on patient self-management and the resulting impact on health and health service use. Using the Biopsychosocial Model of HF Self-management, our aim is to assess the relationship between cognitive impairment, patient self-management, health, and health service use in a sample of 400 men and women with NYHA Class 2 and 3 HF. Conclusions from this study will have important implications for screening HF patients for cognitive impairment, identifying high risk patients, and designing and implementing patient self-management interventions targeted to cognitively impaired HF patients to improve health outcomes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL096710-02
Application #
8054934
Study Section
Behavioral Medicine, Interventions and Outcomes Study Section (BMIO)
Program Officer
Czajkowski, Susan
Project Start
2010-04-05
Project End
2014-01-31
Budget Start
2011-02-01
Budget End
2012-01-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$666,301
Indirect Cost
Name
Kent State University at Kent
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041071101
City
Kent
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
44242
Gathright, Emily C; Dolansky, Mary A; Gunstad, John et al. (2017) The impact of medication nonadherence on the relationship between mortality risk and depression in heart failure. Health Psychol 36:839-847
Dolansky, Mary A; Hawkins, Misty A W; Schaefer, Julie T et al. (2017) Cognitive Function Predicts Risk for Clinically Significant Weight Gain in Adults With Heart Failure. J Cardiovasc Nurs 32:568-575
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Hawkins, Misty A W; Dolansky, Mary A; Levin, Jennifer B et al. (2016) Cognitive function and health literacy are independently associated with heart failure knowledge. Heart Lung 45:386-91
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Hawkins, Misty A W; Dolansky, Mary A; Schaefer, Julie T et al. (2015) Cognitive Function in Heart Failure Is Associated With Nonsomatic Symptoms of Depression But Not Somatic Symptoms. J Cardiovasc Nurs 30:E9-E17
Basuray, Anupam; Dolansky, Mary; Josephson, Richard et al. (2015) Dietary sodium adherence is poor in chronic heart failure patients. J Card Fail 21:323-9
Xie, Susan S; Goldstein, Carly M; Gathright, Emily C et al. (2015) Performance of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) in detecting cognitive impairment in heart failure patients. Heart Lung 44:387-94

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