Self-care agency and factors related to this agency among patients with coronary heart disease

The aim of this study was to assess the self-care agency and factors related to this agency among patients with coronary heart disease (N = 250) measured with a self-care inventory (Self-as-Carer Inventory, SCI). A secondary aim was to analyze the ability of the SCI inventory based on Orem's self-care deficit theory to measure the self-care agency of patients with coronary heart disease. Factor analysis yielded four factors which represent the key aspects of self-care, such as evaluation, implementation, decision-making, significance of knowledge, attitudes, motivation and physical prerequisites of self-care. The most important precondition for self-care in our study was 'appreciation of and motivation to self-care'. This factor had numerous correlations with the background factors. Age, sex, socioeconomic status, employment status, health behavior, such as alcohol use and smoking, other diseases, such as diabetes, and satisfaction with sex life were related to the patients' self-care agency. It can be concluded that the self-care agency of our patients was moderate and many background factors were related to it. The SCI inventory seems to cover the self-care requirements of these patients, but the clinical use of SCI is precarious. The items are still too abstract and the questionnaire is therefore too difficult to fill in for many patients. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.