Objective:

To expose the design, implementation, and evaluation of a nursing intervention: "Decision-making for the management of symptoms in adults with heart failure".

Methods:

We realized a systematic process proposed by Sidani and Braden that contemplates four phases: design of the intervention, operationalization of the intervention in an intervention manual, study of acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the intervention and translation of the intervention.

Results:

The intervention was designed according to the postulates of the specific situation theory self-care in heart failure, focused on decision-making for the management of symptoms in adults with heart failure. Experts (n = 5) successfully assessed the theoretical level of the protocol (compliance rate 90 %). The recruitment rate of the participants was successful (91.6 %). In a final sample for the analysis (n = 105), a significant improvement was found in the intervention group (n = 53) in the maintenance of self-care [F (1.103) = 719.6; p = 0.000; η 2 p = 0.88 (Cohen's f = 2.65)] and in the management of self-care [F (174) = 23501.07; p = 0.000; η 2 p = 0.97 (Cohen's f = 5.6)] compared to the control group (n = 52) that received the usual attention.

Conclusions:

It demonstrates the theoretical and operational fidelity, feasibility, and effectiveness of the protocol of a nursing intervention to improve self-care in adults with heart failure with a large effect size.

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