Abstract: Objective: To analyze the combined pathways to reduce care dependence in older patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) during the discharge transition period, so as to provide reference for formulating clinical nursing intervention plans. Methods: From July to November 2024, 248 older patients with CHF from three comprehensive tertiary grade A hospitals in Jiangsu province were selected using the convenient sampling method. A survey was conducted using the Nursing Dependence Scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Heart Failure-Specific Nutritional Assessment Scale, and the Symptom Status Questionnaire-Heart Failure, etc. Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis was employed to identify combinatorial factors and their linkage effects on reducing care dependency during discharge transition period in these patients. Results: The care dependency score for older patients with CHF at discharge was 62.62±9.25, indicating a moderate level of reliance. Configurational analysis revealed four distinct combinatorial paths contributing to the reduction of care dependency levels. Conclusion: The level of care dependency among older patients with CHF during the hospital discharge transition period is influenced by a combination of physiological, psychological, and social factors. Healthcare providers should implement targeted transitional care interventions based on the synergistic effects of these influencing factors.

Key words: elderly; Chronic Heart Failure; discharge transition period; care dependency; influencing factor; configurational analysis