Implications for practice and research

• Timely identifying self­care behaviour patterns over time may reduce the risk of hospital readmissions in patients with heart failure (HF).

• Further research studies are required to examine the effects of every 3–6 months self-care intervention on hospital readmissions among patients with HF.

Context

Unplanned readmissions within 30 days and 6 months postdischarge are notably common in patients with HF.1 2 Effective self-care behaviours are essential to lower readmissions. However, the trajectories of self-care behaviours throughout the HF progression can vary among patients.3 Limited research studies have examined the relationships among the influencing variables, self-care behaviours and readmissions over …