State of the Science

S elf-care is advocated as a method of improving outcomes from heart failure (HF), the final common pathway for several prevalent illnesses, including hypertension and coronary artery disease.HF is widespread in aging populations across the world. 1 The burden of HF is manifested in poor quality of life (QOL) 2,3 and early mortality. 4In addition, there are Ͼ3 million ambulatory care and emergency department visits 5 and well over 1 million hospitalizations for HF in the United States annually, 6 which contributes to the exorbitant costs associated with HF.Much of this healthcare utilization is thought to be preventable if patients engage in consistent self-care. 7,8his scientific statement seeks to highlight…