Interventions to Enhance Interoception and Symptom Attribution in Patients with Heart Failure: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Timely recognition and interpretation of symptoms are crucial for effective self-care in heart failure (HF). However, many patients struggle to detect bodily sensations and interpret their meaning, leading to poor outcomes. Interoception and symptom attribution are central to this process but are often impaired. This scoping review aims to describe interventions and their characteristics aiming to enhance interoception and symptom attribution in patients with HF. Recent Findings: Recent findings indicate that patients’ attributions of the causes of their symptoms strongly influence self-care, and growing attention to interoception suggests that increased awareness of bodily sensations can improve self-care symptom management. Summary: Interventions targeting interoception and symptom attribution may help improving HF patients’ symptom perception and self-care symptom management. Both constructs are closely connected and contribute to timely symptom management. The heterogeneity of interventions reflects the complexity of symptom perception in HF and highlights the need for personalized, multicomponent approaches to strengthen self-care and improve outcomes.