A retrospective analysis of empathy-centric care strategies on negative emotional states and expectation levels in acute heart failure patients

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of an empathy-centered care approach on the intensity of negative emotional states and levels of expectation in patients experiencing acute heart failure. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 106 patients presenting with emergent heart failure. The patients were bifurcated into a control group (53 patients) and an intervention group (53 patients) based on their respective care management plans. Following the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated decreased values in left ventricular end-systolic diameter and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and increased left ventricular ejection fraction compared to the control group (P < .05). Additionally, the 6-minute walk test used for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and the 30 seconds sit-to-stand exercise revealed superior results in the intervention group (P < .05). Positive scores on the Positive Negative Affect Scale, the various dimensions of the Herth Hope Index Scale, the Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Chinese Cultural Modified Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire were notably higher in the intervention group, whereas negative scores on the Positive Negative Affect Scale and scores on the Self-Assessment Scale of Anxiety were comparatively lower than those in the control group (P < .05). Implementing an empathy-based care approach can bolster cardiac function, augment functional fitness, mitigate negative emotional states, elevate expectation levels, enhance psychological resilience, improve quality of life, and decrease complication rates in patients with acute heart failure.