Multimorbidity and Physical Activity in Heart Failure Patients
Topic of Interest
Patient Populations
Abstract
Title: Multimorbidity and Physical Activity in Heart Failure Patients
Background: Heart failure (HF) affects 6.3 million adults annually and exceeds costs of $30.7 billion. Half of all HF patients suffer from concomitant conditions and frailty, as they are surviving and living longer with conditions due to medical advances. Regular physical activity (PA) is a well-established research-driven guideline in HF patient management, although up to 91% of patients report physical symptoms as a primary reason for not engaging in PA. The prevalence of multimorbidity in HF patients could be hypothesized to contribute to physical symptoms that deter PA in this population, affecting their quality of life (QOL) and outcomes. Therefore, we hypothesize that type and amount of multimorbidity is associated with lower PA in HF patients.
Purpose: The aims of this project are two-fold: (a) to study and characterize multimorbidity in HF patients and their association with PA in a HF population from a previously conducted APRN-led RCT; and (b) to contribute to a larger body of PhD dissertation work that is ongoing by this author in the topic area of multimorbidity in HF.
Methods: Data analysis is currently underway using SPSS to explore characteristics of the HF patient population. The data analysis in this project will be explorative and descriptive in nature, in order to characterize multimorbidity and its association with PA (measured by Actigraph data) in these patients based upon clinical (i.e., multimorbidity) and non-clinical factors (i.e., socio-demographic).
Results: Data analysis in progress. Descriptive data and any associations to be presented.
Implications: Heart failure is a leading cause of hospital readmission for adults over the age of 65, impacting healthcare utilization, costs, and quality of life for this vulnerable population. Collection and analysis of patient attributes in the HF population has the potential to identify actionable areas for interventions by APRNs that improve patient QOL and outcomes and reduce readmission rates or healthcare utilization. In addition, this endeavor will provide data for future research in risk stratification for functional vulnerability in HF patients.