Outcome measurement: self-management in heart failure.

Improvement in heart failure outcomes depend on patients' abilities to care for themselves and manage aspects of their condition, and patient self-management has itself become an outcome to be measured. Some behaviors, such as diet and fluid restriction, are prescribed, and self-management is often equated with adherence to the treatment regimen. Self-management has also been defined as cognitive decision making in response to symptoms and conceptualized as a process with stages from novice to expert. Greater understanding and measurement of patient decision making and self-management expertise facilitates the development of effective interventions to improve patient outcomes.