No Added Benefit from Patient Self-Management for Heart Failure

Previous clinical trials of self-management for heart failure have been limited by methodological flaws (e.g., small sample size, limited patient contact). In the Heart Failure Adherence and Retention Trial, investigators randomized 902 patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure to receive standard disease education, with or without self-management counseling.

All patients received 18 heart failure tips from the American Heart Association (e.g., on medication adherence, sodium restriction, sudden weight gain) during 1 year. The self-management group attended eighteen 2-hour group meetings (they received 1 tip per meeting), where they were trained in self-management skills (e.g., self-monitoring, environment restructuring) to help implement…