Leveraging Home Health Aides to Improve Outcomes in Heart Failure

Leveraging Home Health Aides to Improve Outcomes in Heart Failure: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of an intervention among home health aides caring for adults admitted to home care with a primary diagnosis of heart failure at VNS Health Partners in Care (home care agency). The study will examine the interventions' effect on home health aides' heart failure knowledge and confidence caring for adults with heart failure, as well as on the client's overall health (visits to the emergency department and hospital readmissions).

The investigator's central hypothesis is that an intervention that can optimize and improve the experience of home health aides caring for the heart failure patients has the potential to improve home health aides' own self-efficacy, heart failure knowledge, and also patient outcomes. The intervention for home health aides is comprised of a) remote classroom education on heart failure and b) an mHealth app containing HF educational content and a messaging application that connects HHAs and their nurse supervisors. This intervention requires feasibility and acceptability testing, as well as preliminary testing of its effectiveness among home health aides caring for community-dwelling adults with heart failure.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Home health aide employed at VNS Health Partners in Care home care agency.
• 1 or more years of experience as a home health aide.
• Speak English or Spanish.
• Assigned to care for an adult admitted to home care with a primary diagnosis of heart failure.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Doesn't meet inclusion criteria.