Implications for practice and research

• Healthcare providers and managers should pay more attention to, and invest in the experience of the patient, continuity of care and the relationship between the patient and the provider.

• Future research should test an approach that focuses on the identification of (a) physical factors, (b) patient-related factors and (c) previous healthcare experiences in order to prevent heart failure-related hospitalisations by using individualised therapy based on the results.

Context

Self-care management has been defined as ‘a naturalistic decision making process of maintaining health through positive health practices and managing illness and disease’.1 Positive health practices are those practices …