Practical guide on home health in heart failure patients

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic heart failure is a common condition affecting up to 15 million people in the extended Europe. Heart failure is burdensome and costly for patients in terms of decreased quality of life and poor prognosis, and it is also costly for society. Better integrated care is warranted in this population and specialised heart failure care can save costs and improve the quality of care. However, only a few European countries have implemented specialised home care and offered this to a larger number of patients with heart failure.

Pocket-sized ultrasound examination of fluid imbalance in patients with heart failure: A pilot and feasibility study of heart failure nurses without prior experience of ultrasonography

“…Assessment and detection of symptoms and signs of fluid imbalance in patients with HF is a cornerstone of the management of such patients 19 and as such, a central caring aspect for HF nurses. 20 However, this assessment is a challenging task. In stable HF patients, symptoms can fluctuate in an improving and worsening pattern, which increases the difficulty of pinpointing exactly when a worsening symptom is a sign of decompensation.…”

“…In the future, vulnerable HF patients will most certainly be managed outside the hospital and PSUD could therefore be especially valuable for nurses in HF palliative and/or home care. 20,27 Currently, there are no standardized programmes on how to educate and train nurses in the use of PSUDs. However, the time spent on such a programme could probably be relatively short.…”

A review of integrated heart failure care

“…Jaarsma et al . (2013) developed a guide for home health in HF patients from a literature review, a survey of HF management programmes and expert opinion. They concluded that care should consist of integrated multidisciplinary working, patient and partner participation, the development of care plans with clear goals, patient education, self-care management, appropriate access to care and optimised treatment.…”

Participation in Care Encounters in Heart Failure Home-Care

“…In terms of improving care and supporting patient participation, home-care may be the best care model for patients with moderate to severe HF. However, currently, there are very limited opportunities for this type of HF home-care in Europe (Jaarsma et al, 2013).…”