BackgroundWe aimed to establish the support needs of people with heart failure and their caregivers and develop an intervention to improve their health-related quality of life.MethodsWe used intervention mapping to guide the development of our intervention. We identified “targets for change” by synthesising research evidence and international guidelines and consulting with patients, caregivers and health service providers. We then used behaviour change theory, expert opinion and a taxonomy of behaviour change techniques, to identify barriers to and facilitators of change and to match intervention strategies to each target. A patient and public involvement group helped to identify patient and caregiver needs, refine the intervention objectives and strategies and deliver training to the intervention facilitators. A feasibility study (ISRCTN25032672) involving 23 patients, 12 caregivers and seven trained facilitators at four sites assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and quality of delivery and generated ideas to help refine the intervention.ResultsThe Rehabilitation Enablement in Chronic Heart Failure (REACH-HF) intervention is a comprehensive self-care support programme comprising the “Heart Failure Manual”, a choice of two exercise programmes for patients, a “Family and Friends Resource” for caregivers, a “Progress Tracker” tool and a facilitator training course. The main targets for change are engaging in exercise training, monitoring for symptom deterioration, managing stress and anxiety, managing medications and understanding heart failure. Secondary targets include managing low mood and smoking cessation. The intervention is facilitated by trained healthcare professionals with specialist cardiac experience over 12 weeks, via home and telephone contacts. The feasibility study found high levels of satisfaction and engagement with the intervention from facilitators, patients and caregivers. Intervention fidelity analysis and stakeholder feedback suggested that there was room for improvement in several areas, especially in terms of addressing caregivers’ needs. The REACH-HF materials were revised accordingly.ConclusionsWe have developed a comprehensive, evidence-informed, theoretically driven self-care and rehabilitation intervention that is grounded in the needs of patients and caregivers. A randomised controlled trial is underway to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the REACH-HF intervention in people with heart failure and their caregivers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40814-016-0075-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective. To implement and evaluate the use of a situated-learning experience to prepare second-year pharmacy students to conduct medication history interviews in preparation for introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPE) at ambulatory clinic sites. Design. Second-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students (n5200) used the Medication Mysteries Infinite Case Tool, a game-like educational tool in which groups of 3 students assumed the roles of pharmacist, patient, and observer and rolled a die and drew cards to determine the drugs, patient personality, medication problems, and other variables that guided a medication history taking session. Assessment. After the laboratory session, faculty members assessed students' medication historytaking skills. One hundred sixteen (58%) and 78 (39%) of 200 students achieved excellence or competence, respectively, on the final assessment. Two weeks after the assessment, 53 of 200 (26.5%) students completed a survey instrument. The respondents indicated that their self-confidence in conducting medical history taking significantly improved following completion of the learning experience. Conclusion. Using the Medication Mysteries Infinite Case Tool increased students' confidence and skills in conducting medication history taking prior to their clinical IPPE experience.Keywords: medication reconciliation, medication history, self-efficacy, introductory pharmacy practice experiences INTRODUCTIONThe 2012 Joint Commission cites the need to "maintain and communicate accurate patient information" as a National Patient Safety Goal in a variety of healthcare settings. The process of medication reconciliation is intended to identify and resolve discrepancies and involves comparing the medications a patient is taking (or should be taking) with those newly prescribed.1 The ability to perform a patient interview is identified by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality as a key training component for the process of medication reconciliation. 2In various healthcare settings, pharmacist involvement in medication reconciliation has been shown to reduce preventable adverse drug events. [3][4][5] Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards for pharmacy education include conducting patient interviews to gather patient information as an important learning objective for introductory as well as advanced pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs and APPEs). Education on the process of medication reconciliation during transitions of care is also suggested as content to include within the basic clinical sciences curriculum. 6 A white paper from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy recommends that medication reconciliation and the performance of other activities related to care transitions be included in IPPEs as well as APPEs. Also, the importance of effective communication by pharmacists is emphasized by the ACPE as well as the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Center for Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education Educational Outcomes. 6,8 In order to provide s...

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of asthma education delivered by student pharmacists and to assess the impact of child and caregiver baseline asthma knowledge on asthma control in children. Design. Student pharmacists developed and implemented asthma self-management education interventions for children and their caregivers and performed asthma screenings for children at a series of asthma camps. Assessment. Eighty-seven children, ages 5-17 years, and their caregivers were enrolled in this study. A previously validated asthma questionnaire was modified to assess asthma knowledge among children and adults. Asthma knowledge increased significantly in children following participation in the education intervention (p,0.001). The education intervention, however, did not increase caregiver knowledge of asthma. A significant association was observed between caregiver baseline asthma knowledge and better asthma control in their children (p50.019). Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrate that student pharmacist-delivered asthma education can positively impact asthma knowledge in children, and that caregivers' knowledge of asthma is strongly correlated with better asthma control in their children.