Education as a Heart Failure Intervention: What ProvidersTaught Patients in One Hospital Setting

Abstract

This study examined what heart failure (HF) information was provided to patients by health care providers (HCPs), what instructional content taught went beyond the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines, and what HF education expert providers viewed as critical for their patients to receive. There is compelling evidence for utilizing educational instruction that includes evidence based guidelines from the AHA.No studieswere found that compared and contrasted these AHA Guidelines with the instructional content provided to hospitalized patients. Using naturalistic inquiry, 10 HF patients (New York Heart Association functional class of III or IV) and 161 HCPs were observed. Results showed that not all AHA topics were consistently covered; 70% (n=10) patients received less than one hour of instruction, compared to the AHA standard of 60 minutes;AHA Guidelines did not include instructional content on current plan of care which nearly equaled the time spent on AHA topics; brochures and handouts were rarely used and the topics within these materials were not inclusive of AHA standards; asequence of education provided on medications, symptom recognition, diet, and follow up, was congruent with AHA Guidelines and reinforced by the expert panel; and physicians and nurses delivered the most instruction (AHA or non-AHA). The findings of a study of this nature are not generalizable, but still important for future research in testing HF education in other settings for a more robust picture of the benefits of structured versus just in time instruction.