Abstract
Appropriate patient education enables patients to participate in their own care. It is vital that patients suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF) are involved in their care, because self care is of great importance to controll the symtoms. The aim of this article is to elucidate factors that facilitate respectively hinder a group of patients with CHF to use information. A qualitative approach was used in the study analysing two focus group interviews. The results revealed not only a daily-life-perspective of CHF, but also facilitating factors to use information and problems in the information process. A dialogue between the care-giver and the care-taker is crucial for patients to profit by information and such a dialogue was not always established. When patients with the same disease came together in a group an interaction was initiated. This group interaction implied advantages both in terms of pedagogy and social support. The problems in the information process were mainly deficiencies in the communication and in the continuity of the process. A group format was found as a possible alternative for patient education in CHF, worth testing in the clinical practise.