Deficient knowledge in patients with heart failure: A study of diagnostic accuracy and etiological relationships

Purpose

To evaluate the accuracy of defining characteristics and causal relationships of the etiological factors of the nursing diagnosis deficient knowledge in individuals with heart failure .

Data sources

An analytical, cross-sectional study on the diagnostic accuracy of the defining characteristics and causal relationships of the etiological factors of the nursing diagnosis. The sample consisted of 140 patients with chronic HF and in outpatient follow-up. The latent class analysis method was used to test the accuracy of measurements and estimate the prevalence of the diagnosis. The calculation of subsequent probabilities and the odds ratio ( were also parameters employed. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco.

Data synthesis

The diagnosis had an estimated prevalence of 38.57% in the sample. The inaccurate statements about the disease and/or therapy, self-care deficient performance, and inadequate behavior were the clinical indicators that best predicted the presence of the diagnosis and demonstrated the same sensitivity value (1.0000), specificity (1.0000), and 95% confidence interval (0.9999–1.0000) for all. The populations at risk was elderly (OR = 2.12, confidence interval 95% = 1.05–4.27), and illiterate individuals (OR = 2.07, confidence interval 95% = 1.03–4.16) had an approximately twofold great chance of developing havening deficient knowledge.

Conclusion

The evaluation of the accuracy of clinical indicators, corresponding to the defining characteristics in the study, contributed to screening and diagnostic establishment capacity in clinical practice, and to the translation of theoretical and practical knowledge.

Implications for nursing practice

Accurate clinical indicators of the nursing diagnosis deficient knowledge facilitate the clinical reasoning of nurses and favor the professional's role in the development of health education strategies focused on the acquisition of knowledge about the disease by patients, family members, and caregivers.