The Heart Failure Patients: Health Belief Model

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Introduction

Heart failure is a serious condition affecting many people in todays society. The condition arises when this organ becomes weak and fails to function properly. Under such circumstances, the output of the heart is very low. As a result, the body of the individual suffering from the condition becomes congested with fluids (McMurray & Pfeffer, 2005). The congestion is due to the fact that the output does not match the flow of blood back into the heart. For this reason, the condition is also commonly referred to as congestive heart failure. It is a fatal ailment, which has claimed the lives of many people, especially in the third world countries. In these nations, the healthcare system is not fully developed and the individuals lack access to the necessary services to promote their health (Clark, Freydberg, Tsuyuki, Armstrong & Strain, 2009). The condition is disabling and costly to the patients. Individuals who suffer from it have to invest heavily in their health. It is chronic and requires the patients to be put under constant surveillance.

Health researchers across the globe have made attempts to come up with a number of frameworks aimed at improving the health of those suffering from heart failure. The Health Belief Model is one such model that has been developed with the aim of enhancing the welfare of these individuals (Pender, Murdaugh & Parsons, 2011). The model aims at predicting and explaining behavior related to health, especially in terms of response to healthcare services. The framework can also act as a foundation for health education since it aims at explaining modifications of living patterns and significance of the same in maintaining health. It adopts a value expectancy approach to the issue of wellbeing. It argues that an individuals behavior depends on the expected outcomes and the value placed on them (Clark et al., 2009). Fitness education is of great importance as it enlightens patients about their health conditions and how best to deal with them.

In this paper, a model to promote health behavior among heart failure patients is analyzed. The framework is identified and described, together with a justification for its selection. Its benefits to this group of patients are critically reviewed. Finally, the author of this paper develops a health promotion prevention intervention plan related to heart failure population.

Health Belief Model

The framework is adopted by many practitioners in this field. It was designed by a group of social psychologists in the 1950s. The major aim of these scholars was to investigate the reasons why individuals failed to participate in preventive behavior, such as immunization. Participation in such activities would help the community members to avert health related problems (Neubauer, 2007). The model is unique in that it takes a value expectancy approach to health related issues. It is of the view that an individuals behavior is determined by the envisaged consequences of the act. The framework goes further to state that the value placed on the expected outcomes will also influence human behavior. It was selected for this analysis as it is associated with various benefits as far as health outcomes are concerned.

The health belief approach usually deals with five key aspects of human behavior with regards to health conditions. Perceived susceptibility is one of the elements that influence behavioral patterns when it comes to health (Pender et al., 2011). An individual will take preventive action against a disease only when they feel that they are susceptible to the condition. For example, persons who are not vulnerable to heart failure will not feel obliged to adopt aversive measures like engaging in physical exercise (Pender et al., 2011). The second aspect is perceived severity. The expected implications of the health condition will determine how an individual will try to prevent its occurrence. Conditions perceived to be severe will prompt vigilance in terms of taking the necessary preventive measures (Neubauer, 2007).

The element of expected benefits is also an important determinant of human actions. Individuals are likely to adopt behaviors that they believe to be more useful and shun those that they consider less beneficial in terms of health. Perceived barriers will also influence an individuals reaction towards a health condition. People tend to embrace behavioral patterns that have few limitations. They avoid behaviors that are associated with barriers (Pender et al., 2011). Cues to action also inform an individuals attitude towards a certain condition. The actions that are deemed to be necessary are the ones that are usually taken.

Individuals must be fully aware of the facts associated with the health condition they are suffering from. Such understandings help them to effectively deal with the ailment (McMurray & Pfeffer, 2005). For instance, persons suffering from heart failure must familiarize themselves with the issues surrounding the condition for them to best deal with it. To this end, health education remains one of the major principles behind the health belief model (Neubauer, 2007).

There are several techniques used to gauge the effectiveness of this framework. One of them involves analyzing the traits of the control and experimental groups before and after health education. The model is of great importance to heart failure patients since it helps psychologists to understand and predict their behavior (Pender et al., 2011). The physicians would then be in a position to help patients design activities aimed at controlling and preventing the disease and its complications. The model also enables practitioners to understand the attitudes and the educational needs of the target population. As a result, the right interventional measures can be formulated and implemented.

The health belief model plays an important role in promoting self-care among heart failure patients. It helps the patients, family members, and other stakeholders to understand the health educational needs of this population (Clark et al., 2009). After identifying the needs of this group, the relevant information is then passed through education. Educating heart failure patients on matters concerning their medical condition increases their knowledge about the condition as a whole. Such patients will be in a better position to modify their behavior in a manner that will help them control their health condition. Informed patients can effectively handle their health condition in terms of behavior modification, which means that they face few complications (Neubauer, 2007). The individuals are able to prevent the adverse effects of their health condition since they are aware of the interventions necessary to control the ailment.

Through education, the populations level of perceived susceptibility will be increased, prompting the adoption of measures that will help prevent the disease. By increasing such perceptions, the model encourages the patients to change their lifestyle and improve their wellbeing. When sensitized about the threats associated with their condition, the patient is motivated to embrace new behavioral patterns beneficial to their health. The patients are helped to appreciate the importance of healthy living as far as perceived value of actions is concerned. The individuals will engage in such activities as physical exercise, which have been identified as effective interventions in the control and prevention of the health condition (Clark et al., 2009).

Perceived benefits and barriers play an important role in the control and prevention of heart failure (Pender et al., 2011). To enhance the effectiveness of the model, practitioners should strive to create a link between behavior modifications on the one hand and reduced perceived barriers and more perceived benefits on the other hand. Patients should view the intervention as a stress-free undertaking. By pointing out the possible benefits of behavior change, the patients will be encouraged to adopt healthy living regimens. With the help of education, the health belief model encourages heart failure patients to effectively manage their health condition.

A Health Promotion and Prevention Intervention Plan for Heart Failure Patients

Health planning is a dynamic process that requires flexible solutions. The needs of clients change from time to time. As a result, healthcare systems should be reviewed regularly to meet the requirements of the patients (Neubauer, 2007). On their part, the clients must work together with the health practitioners to improve the effectiveness of the system. Different diseases require varying interventional measures (Barnett, Anderson, Blosnich, Harverson & Novak, 2005). For this reason, different approaches should be taken when planning for health promotion and prevention intervention. It is important to note that planning requires the participation of the whole society. The reason for this is that health is a social issue. It is not restricted to the individual affected by the condition (Clark et al., 2009).

Heart failure is one of the most serious health conditions in the world, which requires serious planning and interventions. The health promotion and prevention intervention plan for heart failure patients will aim at changing the behavior of the population in order to reduce the prevalence of the disease (Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). The goals of the behavioral change should be identified (McMurray & Pfeffer, 2005). For example, behavioral change for these patients may involve alteration of diet, promotion of physical exercise, and stress management.

After setting the goals, the process of developing a health care plan commences (Pender et al., 2011). To begin with, mutual understanding between the clients and the health practitioners is established. The professionals must identify the patients current behavior pattern, as well as point out the beliefs and attitudes attributed to this status (Wise, 2007). The practitioner then formulates the preferred behavior pattern to cater for the population. The professional should be in a position to explain the positive attributes associated with the change.

The social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of the patient must be taken into consideration. The plan is then implemented in accordance with the stipulated timeline. The patient is required to formalize their commitment to change behavior. Follow up should be done to maintain health (Neubauer, 2007). The proposed plan may be revised from time to time to accommodate any changes in intervention strategies. The family and the society should play a role in the heart failure health promotion and prevention intervention plan (Clark et al., 2009). The society must support the change by the patient. Support helps one to get used to the new behavior system. Such support also ensures that the patients are not alienated from other members of the society. Establishing a strong relationship between patients and the community members also promotes health among this group of patients. Members of the society learn how to lead a healthy life by interacting with the patient (Allegante, Peterson, Boutin-Foster, Ogedegbe & Clarkson, 2008).

Conclusion

In severe cases, heart failure may lead to death. The chronic nature of the condition implies that the patients are monitored regularly to ensure that they lead a healthy life in spite of the ailment. Professionals in this field have come up with a number of interventions aimed at improving the welfare of these patients. the condition is also chronic and requires regular monitoring of the patients diagnosed to be suffering from the health condition. The health belief model, which was analyzed in this paper, is one of the most successful frameworks used to enhance the health of heart failure patients. One of the strengths associated with the model is its value expectancy approach to health. According to the theory, individual behavior is largely dependent on the expected returns on their actions. Health education is important as it determines the effectiveness of health interventions. Heart failure patients must be provided with information about the various aspects of this condition to help them make informed decisions. In this paper, it was also established that health planning is the responsibility of the whole community. Each and every member of the society is required to work together with health practitioners to promote the welfare of the whole community.

References

Allegante, J., Peterson, J., Boutin-Foster, C., Ogedegbe, G., & Clarkson, M. (2008). Multiple health risk behavior in a chronic disease population: What behaviors do people choose to change?. Preventive Medicine, 46, 247-251.

Barnett, E., Anderson, T., Blosnich, J., Harverson, J., & Novak, J. (2005). Promoting cardiovascular health: From individual goal to social environmental change. American Journal of Preventive Health, 29, 107-112.

Clark, A., Freydberg, N., Tsuyuki, R., Amstrong, P., & Strain, L. (2009). Patient and informal caregivers knowledge of heart failure: Necessary but insufficient for effective self-care. European Journal of Heart Failure, 11(6), 617-621.

Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Healthy people 2010. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

McMurray, J., & Pfeffer, M. (2005). Heart failure. Lancet , 365, 87-89.

Neubauer, S. (2007). The failing heart: An engine out of fuel. The New England Journal of Medicine, 356, 40-51.

Pender, N., Murdaugh, C., & Parsons, M. (2011). Health promotion in nursing practice (6th ed.). New York: Prentice Hall.

Wise, F. (2007). Exercise based cardiac rehabilitation in chronic heart failure. Australian Family Physician, 36, 1019-1024.

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The Heart Failure Patients: Health Belief Model

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