The Importance Of A Family Intervention For Heart Failure Patients

There are approximately 5.7 million people in the United States diagnosed with heart failure and about half of those diagnoses will die due to causes related to heart failure within five years (“Heart Failure”, 2016). Heart failure related deaths vary by geographic locations; however, they are most predominant among men and offer a greater risk to women if left untreated. Heart failure is a serious medical condition, if diagnosed and treated early enough, the chance of preventing death increase.

In addition, the researchers conducted a chart review of each participant 's medical record. In this study the results showed that “compared with men, women used more evasive and supportive coping and rated psychologic aspects of the heart disease as more problematic to manage. More women perceived available support from friends and grandchildren, and more men perceived available support from their partner. Women rated lower levels in physical and psychologic dimensions of quality of life” (Kristofferzon et al., 2005, p. 39).

The heart is an organ that pumps oxygenated blood to the body and deoxygenated blood to the lungs. Heart failure is when the heart can’t pump blood very well. If the heart fails to work properly, a major system called the circulatory system won’t work properly and therefore the whole human body will fail to work properly because the cells won’t be able get oxygenated blood and use the oxygen to undergo cellular respiration and make energy.

Evaluation is the final and often the most critical step in evidence based research and practice. Evaluation of evidence based practice follows a pathway beginning with the selection of the area for improvement, synthesizing the research into a process improvement activity and evaluating both the implementation of the process improvement as well and the outcomes of the intervention (Titler, 2008). To measure the results of process change in the management of heart failure patients a retrospective analysis will be conducted comparing the readmission rates of a pilot and control population over a 6-month period. The pilot population will be evaluated with the LACE index readmission risk assessment upon admission and subsequently receive the recommended interventions based on the risk stratification. In comparison, the control group will receive the current process of telephonic contact only. The pilot group will include patients over the age of 18 residing in zip-codes 45402 and 45403,

Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating condition that has become a public health problem. There are many debilitating effects of HF for many people that have to live with this disease. According to Hardin and Hussey (2003), recognize inadequate patient education, poor symptom control, and insufficient social support as factors that contribute to preventable HF related hospitalizations (p.p.74). Many people are frequently hospitalized because of HF exacerbation related to lack of knowledge, poor quality of life and medication non adherence. This research proposal determines the effect of Advance Practice Nurse led telephone intervention in the community and how their phone calls would improve the outcomes of patients with Heart Failure. This proposal identifies variables and measurement levels, research methodology and conclusion. The results of the research studies will support the idea that Advanced practice nurses has a positive impact on patients with HF, decreasing HF related hospital admissions and improving their quality of life.

Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal. It does not mean the heart has stopped working. The blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. This means; the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs. The chambers of the heart respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or by becoming more stiff and thickened. This only keeps the blood moving for a short while. The heart muscle walls weaken and are unable to pump as strongly. This makes the kidneys respond by causing the body to retain fluid and sodium. When the body builds up with fluids, it becomes congested. Many conditions can cause heart

established the clinical problem that heart failure is associated with high morbidity and poor prognosis (Hobbs, et al., 2007). She further added that it decreases patients’ quality of life as it places a heavy burden on them, as well as their families, as well as the huge negative impact on health care resources (Iqbal, et al, 2010), contributing to lost productivity from unplanned hospital admissions. The authors presented the research problem strongly, stating that there is a limited study of the role of specialized heart failure nurses in the multidisciplinary team in managing heart failure patients, thus warranting a further investigation to be conducted. Special nurses, as defined by Glogowska et al, are experienced senior nurses who are involved in providing medical, psychological and emotional support that begins at the initial diagnosis of heart failure and continues onward. They provide transitional care in assisting patients manage their heart failure. The research article focus on the experiences and perceptions of clinicians in managing heart failure patients, and it aims to understand the special role of specialized heart failure nurses in the interdisciplinary team. The authors designed to answer the following questions when conducting this study:

Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of hospital admissions and readmissions in the United States (Desai & Stevenson, 2012; Gheorghiade, Vaduganathan, Fonarow, & Bonow, 2013). It is a condition that accounts for a very high morbidity and mortality (Bakal, McAlister, Liu, & Ezekowitz, 2014). Every hospital admission for heart failure patients results in disease progression and poor prognosis. For chronic HF patients, a hospitalization is one of the strongest prognostic predictors for increased mortality (Gheorghiade et al., 2013). Factoring in re-hospitalizations, especially at 30-day to 90-day mark, it is increasingly detrimental to patient prognosis.

Heart failure is a complex condition that requires multidisciplinary collaboration to assist with symptom management. Heart failure patients need to modify their lifestyles for example, limiting sodium intake, weighing daily and calling the primary care provider with a 2-3 pounds weight

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a foremost health problem worldwide, touching 4.8 million U.S. patients and accounts for 978,000 or 5-10% of all hospitalizations. Some estimates show 550,000 new cases of CHF diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Currently, CHF accounts for 20% of all discharges in the over age 65 categories; with the aging demographic, this statistic is expected to increase significantly. Overall, the cost of treating CHF is very high -$38 billion annually in the U.S., representing 5.4% of total health care costs and involves many physician visits - at least 11 million ambulatory visits per year. The mortality rate for CHF is high, with one in five persons dying within 1 year, more than half of the CHF patients

One of the most important aspects of treating a patient with heart failure is providing an ample amount of education and counseling to both the patient and their family. It is essential that the patient understands the importance of participating in their treatment regimen and that it is a lifelong commitment that they must actively be involved with in managing their care (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014, p.800).

Is the condition where the heart is not pumping the right amount of blood to the rest of the body as it should be

For patients with existing symptoms of heart disease, the nurses role may include helping to identify risk factors and lifestyle habits that have led to the disease, as well as obtaining and documenting vital signs and diagnostic tests used to determine the extent of the disease. Education on identification of significant symptoms and the proper subsequent actions will play a major role in the patient’s ability to advocate for themselves and help them determine when it is necessary to seek care. Nursing responsibilities in caring for a patient already experiencing chronic heart failure, like the one being discussed in this review, include specialized cardiac monitoring, monitoring of vital signs and major organ function, post-procedure care, assessment and care of surgical incisions, administration of medications, managing patient anxiety and compliance, and patient education. Discharge is perhaps the most critical educational opportunity for nurses dealing with HF patients. The level of patient self care and symptom recognition and management after discharge is a significant factor relating to the prevalence of readmittance to the hospital and death in HF patients (Barnason, Zimmerman, and Young, 2011). Barnason, Zimmerman and Young (2011) reveal that one of the factors affecting the compliance with self care actions by heart failure patients is the amount of nurse directed

A research question for a proposed study on transitions of care in congestive heart failure patients is: How does implementation of transitional care interventions in heart failure patients upon discharge affect the rate of compliance to their prescribed heart failure regimens. The rational for the proposed study is to develop a care model that will prevent CHF exacerbations and readmissions to the hospitals. Throughout this study the goal would be aimed at providing resources, continuation of care, and proper teaching materials to make allowance for compliance to their prescribed heart failure

It is quite recognized in nursing that most heart failure patients do not take proper care of their heart failure once returning home from a stay at the hospital. They are reluctant to change their years of dietary and poor activity habits, and do not follow up with their physicians as they are directed to. Their desire to read all of the provided information is frowned upon as being too much, especially with the additional verbal information they receive from their doctors, nurses, and dieticians while in the hospital. It has been observed that the patient needs a simpler method of managing their heart failure at home. With this in mind, the goal of this project is to recognize that the patient is the primary stakeholder whom needs an easy to read and follow set of instructions that they will use to help them manage their heart failure throughout the day. A Heart Failure Quick Reference Tool (see Appendix A for heart failure tool steps) and nurse teaching materials were researched and developed, and a select number of nurses were educated. Though the information was well received by the patients and staff, the given amount of time available to