Studies show that 25%–50% of cardiovascular patients suffer from FS. Patients with HF and concurrent FS are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse effects of their disease compared with non-frail patients.23 The prevalence of FS is currently approximately 40%, and epidemiological forecasts indicate that it will rise as the population ages.24 Frailty occurs more frequently in patients with HF than among the general population, and serves as an independent predictor of visits to the emergency department, hospitalizations, and mortality.25
HF patients’ self-care capabilities have been examined by many researchers.26–31 Patients continue to have a low level of understanding of self-care. Problems with compliance among patients are common, and there is still no explanation why this happens. As far as we known, there are no previous studies on frailty and self-care behaviors among patients with HF. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the relation-ship between frailty and its domains (physical, psychological, social) and the self-care capabilities of patients with HF, and to assess which factors are associated with frailty.
The most popular diagnostic criteria for FS are those based on the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) definition described by Fried et al.4 The five described frailty markers are based on a