A study of post-urination external genital cleansing behavior and its impact on improving dapagliflozin adherence in Chinese male heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND: While the relationship between genital hygiene practices and infection risk has been well-documented in various clinical settings, limited attention has been paid to preventive strategies specifically targeting male heart failure patients on dapagliflozin. This study aims to evaluate the impact of post-urination external genital cleaning on dapagliflozin medication adherence in male heart failure patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel-controlled study was conducted with 1337 male heart failure patients on dapagliflozin therapy. The test group performed simple external genital cleaning post-urination, while the control group maintained routine care. Primary outcomes included genital fungal infection incidence, medication-related concerns, belief intensity, and medication adherence, assessed over a 1-year period. The test group demonstrated significantly lower rates of genital fungal infections compared to controls (0.75% vs. 3.14%, P = 0.002). Additionally, the test group showed higher dapagliflozin adherence rates (72.75% vs. 63.23%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Post-urination external genital cleaning significantly improves dapagliflozin medication adherence in male heart failure patients.