Objective To explore the current status and influencing factors of self-management in senile patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) from different nationalities of Qinghai province, so as to provide a basis for nurses to provide self-management education. Methods From March 2016 to December 2016, a total of 450 senile inpatients were selected with CHF from Golmud city, Haidong city, Xining city in Qinghai Province via convenience sampling. The current status was investigated with the general information questionnaire, self-management Scale of Heart Failure Patients, Heart Failure Knowledge Test (HFKT), Chronic Disease Self-efficacy Scale. We carried out statistics in the score of self-management, conditions of heart failure knowledge and status of self-efficacy. The multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of self-management. Results The score of self-management of senile patients with CHF in Qinghai Province was (47.1±9.5) with a low level. There were statistically significant differences in the score of self-management of patients among different nationalities from high to low scores including the Han nationality (49.9±8.1), Mongolian nationality (45.2±5.1), the Zang nationality (43.7±10.1), the Hui nationality (42.1±10.5) and other minority nationalities (37.6±8.8) respectively (F=16.95, P< 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that the influencing factors of self-management included ages, cardiac functional grading, course of disease, heart failure knowledge and self-efficacy. Conclusions The self-management of senile patients with CHF is affected by physiologic and psychological factors. Nursed should provide self-management education taking patients' cultural background into consideration.