The Impact of a Heart Failure Review on Self-Care Knowledge, Adherence and Clinical Outcomes

The Impact of a Heart Failure Review on Self-Care Knowledge, Adherence and Clinical Outcomes

This study is assessing the effects of a new heart failure self-care education program in the Nebraska Heart Institute Heart Improvement Clinic. The new education program will consist of an initial intensive self-care education session with the Principal Investigator or her nurse practitioner. Topics to be discussed include medications, sodium and fluid consumption, alcohol restriction, exercise, preventive behaviors, and monitoring of signs and symptoms. As recommended in the ACCF/AHA guidelines, this education will be repeated on an annual basis as studies have shown that the impact of HF education is not always durable and must be a continual process. This study will assess the impact of this review on their medication knowledge, disease state knowledge, quality of life, disease state progression and clinical outcomes such as ejection fraction and number of hospitalizations.

This is an observational study as all patients in the heart failure clinic, regardless of whether or not they will choose to be in the study, will receive heart failure self-care education from now on.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males and females ages 19 and older
• Able to speak, read and understand English and able to understand and provide informed consent
• Diagnosis of cardiomyopathy and/or HF, preserved or reduced ejection fraction

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients not-responsible for self-care.
• Inability to provide written informed consent.
• Co-morbid condition with an expected survival of less than six months.