OBJECTIVE: Adherence to self-care behaviors improves heart failure (HF) morbidity and life quality. We examined short-term impact of video education (VE) in addition to standard education (SE) on HF healthcare utilization and self-care behavior adherence. METHODS: One hundred and twelve hospitalized patients were randomly assigned to SE (n = 53) or SE plus VE (n = 59). Differences between groups were analyzed in patients who underwent 3-month follow-up (39 SE and 37 VE patients). Mean age was 60 +/- 14 years; mean HF length was 57 months. RESULTS: Three-month healthcare utilization was similar between groups but VE patients needed less extra diuretic dosing (p < 0.02), received more HF literature (p < 0.03), and had less healthcare team telephone communication (p < 0.04). VE patients had greater sign/symptom reduction (p < 0.04); especially related to edema (p < 0.01) and fatigue (p < 0.01) and initiated more actions for edema (p < 0.05) and dyspnea (with exercise or rest, both p < 0.01). Overall, VE patients had a higher mean self-care behavior score (p < 0.01), reflecting greater self-care adherence. CONCLUSION: Video education prompts self-care behavior adherence to control worsening signs/symptoms of volume overload. During 3-month follow-up, utilization of most healthcare resources was unchanged. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: VE is a useful adjunct to in-person education.
With permission from Excerpta Medica Inc.

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