Background: Heart failure is a complex condition that causes, among other things, shortness of breath and fatigue. The disease challenge patients physically, mentally and socially. Self-care for heart failure is a central part of the treatment process. Heart failure requires a lifestyle change to promote the patient's health, increase well-being and prevent complications. Aim: the aim was to describe patients' experience of self-care in heart failure. Method: This is a literature study that is based on ten qualitative studies, the authors have used the CINAHL and PubMed databases to retrieve scientific articles. Results: The results were divided into one main themes, "obstacles in self-care". Conclusion: Heart failure patients experienced several barriers that negatively affected the quality of their life including physical, psychological and social aspects. The patients also experienced problems financially and many of the patients had too little information about their illness, which was an obstacle to self-care.