Nurse-led Care Program with Patients with Heart Failure Using Johnson’s Behavioral System Model: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Patients with heart failure experience system imbalance and have multiple symptoms. A nurse-led care program based on Johnson’s behavioral system model was used to improve the balance of the behavioral system of heart failure patients. One hundred and fifty patients were randomly assigned into two groups. In the experimental group, the patient’s status was evaluated by a behavioral subsystem assessment tool related to the level of imbalance. The patients in the intervention group received care individually based on their worst subsystem scores over a period of 2 weeks. The results showed significant improvement in restorative, ingestive, eliminative, aggressive/protective, dependency, and achievement ( p < .05) subsystems in the experimental group. However, no significant difference was seen in sexual and affiliative ( p > .05) subsystems.