| Summary: | Abstract Aim To explore how patients with heart failure perceive their capacity to manage treatment and self‐care. Design A qualitative descriptive study. Methods Patients (N = 17) were recruited from a nurse‐led heart failure outpatient clinic from May–August 2017. Data were collected through individual semi‐structured interviews and analysed using systematic text condensation. Results Three main themes were identified as follows: “Personal characteristics,” “Coping strategies” and “Emotional and informative support.” The first main theme contained the subthemes “inherent strength” and “maintenance of a positive attitude.” The second main theme included the subthemes “selective denial,” “ability to adapt by setting new goals” and “careful selection of information.” The third main theme contained the subthemes “support from health professionals enhancing patient capacity,” “support from next of kin in patients' self‐care” and “practical support and hope from peers.”
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