Nurses as educators in the comprehensive heart failure care programme—Are we ready for it?

Abstract

Aim: To assess education frequency and nurses' comfort when educating patients hospitalized in different hospital units to prepare them for self-care. Design: A cross-sectional survey. The study included nurses working in units where HF patients were hospitalized. Results: The average score for comfort of education was 5.43 (between “slightly comfortable” and “very comfortable”). The most comfortable topics were “Daily weight monitoring” (5.81 ± 1.25), “Signs/symptoms of worsening condition” (5.77 ± 1.19) and “Fluid restriction” (5.76 ± 1.23). The respondents felt least comfortable when teaching about “Medications” (5.06 ± 1.35) and “Low-sodium diet” (5.31 ± 1.42). The mean score obtained for education frequency was 5.21 (SD 2.51). The nurses most frequently educated their patients on such topics as “Daily weight monitoring” (5.82), “Signs/symptoms of worsening condition” (5.9) and “Fluid restriction” (5.92). Conclusions: Polish nurses are not ready to perform comprehensive HF care tasks without preparation.