Work-heart balance: the influence of biobehavioral variables on self-care among employees with heart failure.

The complexities of managing heart failure among employees have not been studied. In this mixed methods study, the authors explored how cognition, physical functioning, attitudes, and self-efficacy influence self-care among employees with heart failure. Forty-one adults (White, 68.3%; male, 63.4%; median age, 51 years; employed, 48.8%) completed in-depth interviews and standardized instruments. Content analysis was used to derive themes from narrative accounts of self-care practices, attitudes, and self-efficacy within the context of employment. Descriptive and nonparametric statistics were used to describe the sample and generate hypotheses about relationships among the variables. Most of the employed participants (N = 13) worked full-time (65%), primarily in sedentary jobs. Cognition and physical functioning were better in those who were employed (p = .02), but self-care practices were lower (p = .03). Those who successfully managed heart failure and work described strategies to incorporate self-care into their workdays, self-efficacy in managing symptoms while at work, and favorable attitudes toward employment.