Factors predicting treatment adherence among patients with heart failure in Vietnam

Reducing the rate of re-hospitalization among heart failure (HF) patients is a major public health challenge. Treatment non-adherence is a crucial factor shown to trigger re-hospitalization. This study describes treatment adherence and explores the predictive ability of education, knowledge, depression and nurse support on treatment adherence among adult Vietnamese HF patients. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 82 subjects, diagnosed as HF class II and class III, who were assessed during treatment follow-up visits to the outpatient cardiovascular department of Namdinh General Hospital, Vietnam. Structured interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data via the Personal Information Questionnaire, Treatment Adherence Heart Failure Questionnaire, Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Nurse Support Treatment Adherence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and standard multiple regression. The findings showed that the majority of participants were age 50-60 (61.0 %) and nearly two-thirds (64.6%) were in HF class III. Overall treatment adherence was moderate (Mean = 3.55, SD = .61). Medication adherence was high (Mean = 4.01, SD = .77) and lifestyle change adherence was moderate (Mean = 3.45, SD = 6.1). Standard multiple regression analysis indicated that education, knowledge, depression and nurse support significantly predicted treatment adherence (R2 =.708, F4, 77 = 46.59, p <.001). Depression, negatively related to treatment adherence, was the strongest predictor (β =-.35, p <.001). Education (β =.15, p <.05), knowledge (β =.34, p <.001) and nurse support (β =.16, p <.05) were significantly and positively related to treatment adherence. The results suggest that nurses, although they cannot affect patient educational attainment, can develop appropriate nursing intervention programs focusing on the other predictors to improve treatment adherence in HF patients.