Is Adherence to Weight Monitoring or Weight-Based Diuretic Self-Adjustment Associated With Fewer Heart Failure-Related Emergency Department Visits or Hospitalizations?

BackgroundHeart failure (HF) self-care interventions can improve outcomes, but less than optimal adherence may limit their effectiveness. We evaluated if adherence to weight monitoring and diuretic self-adjustment was associated with HF-related emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations.Methods and ResultsWe performed a case-control analysis nested in a HF self-care randomized trial. Participants received HF self-care training, including weight monitoring and diuretic self-adjustment, which they were to record in a diary. We defined case time periods as HF-related ED visits or hospitalizations in the 7 preceding days; control time periods were defined as 7-day periods free of ED visits and hospitalizations. We used logistic regression to compare weight monitoring and diuretic self-adjustment adherence in case and control time periods, adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates. Among 303 participants, we identified 81 HF-related ED visits or hospitalizations (cases) in 54 patients over 1 year of follow-up. Weight monitoring adherence (odds ratio [OR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23–0.76) and diuretic self-adjustment adherence (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.19–0.98) were both associated with lower adjusted odds of HF-related ED visits or hospitalizations.ConclusionsAdherence to weight monitoring and diuretic self-adjustment was associated with lower odds of HF-related ED visits or hospitalizations. Adherence to these activities may reduce HF-related morbidity.