Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of the nursing intervention, decision-making for symptom management to improve self-care in people with heart failure (HF).

Materials and methods:

A randomized controlled trial was conducted. From a population of 176 people with HF from Monteria - Colombia, a sample of 114 participants was taken who were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 57) and the control group (n = 57). The intervention protocol and the educational material were designed and validated according to the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index scale v6.2, Spanish version, validated in the Colombian population, upon entering the study (baseline) and after the intervention (at the first month and at the end of the intervention in the third month). Data were analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures.

Results:

There was a significant difference in the intervention group compared to the control group in both maintenance of self-care [F (1,103) = 719.6 p = 0.000 (partial eta squared 𝜂𝑝2 = 0.88 (Cohen’s f = 2.6] and in self-care management [F (1.74) = 2351.07 p = 0.000 (partial eta squared 𝜂𝑝2 = 0.97 (Cohen’s f = 5.6).

Conclusions:

The intervention decision-making for symptom management is effective to improve self-care in people with heart failure, and the intervention needs to be replicated in other populations.

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