Heart Failure Quality Measures
According to the
Heart Failure (HF) Society of America (HFSOA)
, heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart's pumping ability is impaired, causing any combination of the following symptoms: fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in the ankles and legs. With proper medication and lifestyle changes, however, persons with heart failure may live longer and feel better.
Because HF is a complex condition, persons with heart failure and their family members will need to continue life-long learning about the condition and treatments used to keep HF patients stable and out of the Hospitals .
According to the
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
, persons with heart failure benefit from Hospitals discharge instructions that include information on activity level, diet, discharge medications, follow-up appointments, weight monitoring, and what to do if symptoms worsen.
Hospitals readmissions are common in persons with heart failure and educating patients and family members is crucial to successful heart failure management.
Scientific evidence supports condition-specific discharge planning and post-discharge support to optimize heart failure self-management and prevent readmission.
At St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center, 73 percent of patients with heart failure received discharge instructions on activity, diet, medications, follow up, weight monitoring, and symptom management in 2006.