investigating thirst dimensions in heart failure patients using the theory of unpleasant symptoms: a cross-sectional study

Background: vasoconstriction in the salivary glands, changes in the sympathetic nervous system, fluid restriction, nursing care services, together with pharmacotherapy in heart failure (hf) patients cause thirst as a painful complication. against this background, the present study aimed to reflect on thirst dimensions based on the theory of unpleasant symptoms (tous) in hf patients.methods: this descriptive cross-sectional study was fulfilled on 217 hf patients, admitted to the teaching hospitals in the city of tehran, iran, from may to november, 2020, who were selected based on purposive sampling and upon meeting some inclusion criteria. the data collection tools consisted of the demographic survey form (dsf), the thirst intensity visual analogue scale (ti-vas), the thirst frequency scale (tfs), and the thirst distress scale (tds). the data were then analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using the spss (ver. 20) software package.results: the standard deviation (sd) scores of thirst intensity in the hf patients were 47.53±26.37 (viz. at the moderate level) and such values for thirst distress were equal to 25.92±8.13 (i.e., at the high level). most patients (35.9%) also had high degrees of thirst distress. in addition, the majority had felt thirsty over the last month, almost every day (61%), which had occurred all day long. the level of education, hf class, living conditions, fluid restriction, taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) inhibitors, beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists or diuretics, as well as suffering from diabetes were ultimately identified as the main predictors of thirst intensity and distress.conclusion: with regard to the high prevalence rate of thirst in hf patients and the bothersomeness of this condition, nurses are suggested to consider thirst sensation while they deliver care services to these individuals, and then shed light on the effective factors and predict thirst intensity during history-taking.