Document Type
Final Project
Graduation Date
Spring 5-4-2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
First Advisor
Diane Brage Hudson
Abstract
Purpose
Heart failure is the leading cause of hospital admissions among adults over 65 years old and lack of patient knowledge regarding the self-management of heart failure is a key factor in rising readmission rates. This project enhances inpatient heart failure education using a laminated heart failure zone tool handout to guide heart failure education. The intent was to increase patients’ confidence regarding heart failure self-management and positively impact patients’ knowledge regarding the management of heart failure.
Materials and Methods
The process included identifying hospitalized patients who had been flagged as a heart failure core measure or had been identified by the heart failure coordinators as needing heart failure education. The DNP research team analyzed two main outcomes: patient confidence in self-managing heart failure and patient knowledge about heart failure. Patients completed two pre-test assessments to evaluate their baseline heart failure knowledge and confidence in self-managing heart failure. The Nebraska Medicine Confidence Survey (NMCS) was used to assess their confidence while knowledge was tested using the Patient Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ). Specialized education was provided, emphasizing the heart failure zone tool to help patients identify commonly reported symptoms and steps for managing those symptoms. After receiving the specialized education, patients completed a post-test to reassess any changes to their heart failure knowledge and confidence. The intent was that the specialized heart failure education would increase patients’ reported confidence in managing heart failure and patients’ knowledge about heart failure.
Results
The process included identifying hospitalized patients who had been flagged as a heart failure core measure or had been identified by the heart failure coordinators as needing heart failure education. The DNP research team analyzed two main outcomes: patient confidence in self-managing heart failure and patient knowledge about heart failure. Patients completed two pre-test assessments to evaluate their baseline heart failure knowledge and confidence in self-managing heart failure. The Nebraska Medicine Confidence Survey (NMCS) was used to assess their confidence while knowledge was tested using the Patient Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ). Specialized education was provided, emphasizing the heart failure zone tool to help patients identify commonly reported symptoms and steps for managing those symptoms. After receiving the specialized education, patients completed a post-test to reassess any changes to their heart failure knowledge and confidence. The intent was that the specialized heart failure education would increase patients’ reported confidence in managing heart failure and patients’ knowledge about heart failure.
Conclusions
The findings suggest clinical significance because the education provided positively impacted patients’ self-management confidence and heart failure knowledge. The heart failure zone tool clearly indicates which symptoms require contacting their physician for further guidance and “red flag” symptoms that require contacting emergency services. The outcomes of this DNP project suggest that utilizing the heart failure zone tool will be advantageous for improving patients’ health.
Recommended Citation
Scahill, Emily; Driggers, Cindy; and Marquez, Angelica, "Heart Failure Zone Tool: A Quality Improvement Project" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing. 29.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/con_dnp/29