A health education booklet and telephone follow-ups can improve medication adherence, health-related quality of life, and psychological status of patients with heart failure

BackgroundHeart failure is an increasing public health problem globally. Interventions are imperative in managing the disease.ObjectiveTo examine the effectiveness of a health education booklet and telephone follow-ups on patients’ medication adherence, health-related quality of life, and psychological status.MethodsOne hundred and sixty heart failure patients were assigned to either the experimental group (health education booklet and telephone follow-ups) or the control group (usual care). An independent t-test and the generalized estimating equation (GEE) model were used to compare the differences in the study outcomes. The statistical tests were two-sided and a p value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe patients in the experimental group showed greater improvement throughout the study period compared with those in the control group regarding all the study outcomes.ConclusionsThe study provided clues for healthcare professionals to develop interventions while undertaking clinical work with limited resources in China.