Use of the Minnesota Heart Failure Quality of Life Scores and Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale to evaluate knowledge and quality of life indicators for homebound elderly receiving care from Advanced Practice Nurses.

摘要

There are a growing number of elderly who are homebound and lack basic care. Qui et al., as of 2010, there are currently more than 38.9 million people aged 65 an older in the United States. Up to 3.6 million of these people are considered housebound and in need of home-based care (Qui, 2010). The elderly, especially those who are homebound, lack basic primary care therefore;they frequently rely on the emergency departments (ED) seeking interventions for exacerbation of disease from poor follow-up care. Elderly patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure, who are part of a house call practice and receive care from advanced practice nurse practitioners, will be followed for a 4-month period.;An evidence based congestive heart failure (CHF) protocol was developed by the author using evidenced based literature, specifically for the homebound population. The protocol includes key components of heart failure management, emphasizes collaboration between the patient, caregivers/family members, and health care professionals. The CHF protocol is aimed to reduce hospitalizations, educate patients and their caregivers about heart failure, and integrate Evidence Based Practice (EBP) using experienced seasoned APN and collaborating with experts in cardiology. The findings showed that short session of patient education and use of the teach back method improved patient knowledge about CHF.