Self-care and fatigue in individuals hospitalized with decompensated heart failure during the covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

to determine the association between self-care and fatigue in patients hospitalized with decompensated heart failure during the COVID-19 pandemic. observational, cross-sectional study involving 132 individuals hospitalized in a university hospital. Data were collected through individual interviews and medical record reviews. Self-care was evaluated using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, while fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Pictogram, both of which had been previously validated for use in Brazil. Scores of 70 or higher indicated adequate self-care in the domains of Management, Maintenance and Confidence. most participants were men (n = 73; 55.3%), had a low educational level (n = 98; 74.2%), lived with a spouse and/or children (n = 77; 58.4%) and had a mean age of 62.3 years (standard deviation = 28.7). Inadequate self-care for heart failure was observed in the Maintenance (n = 109; 82.6%), Management (n = 81; 61.8%) and Confidence (n = 57; 48.3%) subscales. In the week before hospitalization, participants reported experiencing fatigue-related exhaustion and limitations. No statistically significant association was found between fatigue intensity or impact and the self-care subscales. during the pandemic, although fatigue was prevalent among participants before hospitalization due to clinical decompensation of heart failure, it was not associated with self-care for the condition.