The role of the nurse in the education and support of patients and carers

摘要

Introduction:Heart failure is a complex pathological syndrome resulting from a number of cardiac disease processes and leading to the development of a number of clinical symptoms that defy simple definition. Symptoms of heart failure include dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, fatigue, decreased appetite, and peripheral oedema, among others. The clinical course of heart failure is characterized by recurrent readmission with congestion and an increased burden on health care services. Pharmacological therapy, such as with ACE inhibitors, spironolac-tone, and beta-blockers, has proven to benefit survival. Non-pharmacological therapies, such as multidisciplinary team management programs that include nursing interventions, have been demonstrated to reduce readmission rates, especially in high-risk groups of patients such as the elderly (Figure 1).