Reducing rates of hospital readmission is a national priority. Roughly twenty percent of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within a period of thirty days after hospital discharge; the readmissions have been approximated to cost the U.S government more than 15 billion dollars annually. Heart failure is the most recurrent discharge diagnosis amid the beneficiaries of Medicare and the most frequent cause of readmissions in hospitals. Heart failure is also considered the most expensive affliction and it accounts for more than 39 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures. Approximately, 5.1 million individuals in the U.S have been diagnosed with heart failure. Heart failure is typified by episodic exacerbations which usually require hospitalization alternating with intervals of medical stability (Wyer et. al ., 2016). This paper seeks to discuss in detail the strategies that can be used to teach patients and community in general about heart failure in order to cut down on the readdimission rates in health facilities.
The purpose of heart failure care is to control symptoms in the outpatient context to prevent heart failure hospitalizations since hospitalization episodes are costly and are characterized by increased mortality and morbidity (Wyer et al, 2016. Hospital readmissions may be avoided through the increased adherence to diet and medication, better access to medical aid, and improved social support. Heart failure patients are tasked with the responsibility of managing a progressive and complex medical program and this largely challenges the issue regarding hospital readmissions. Given the increase in mortality, penalties, morbidity, and costs with regards to heart failure readmissions, healthcare providers are seeking efficient and fruitful interventions to lower incidences of readmission. The paper will assess the effectiveness of heart failure educational strategies in reducing hospital readmissions.
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Heart failure educational strategies could be offered through instituting various intervention systems, follow-up strategies, and intensive technology-based monitoring frameworks (Wyer et al, 2016). Healthcare providers should consider both written and verbal strategies in educating patients about self-care practices such as adhering to behavior and dietary restrictions, monitoring symptoms, and medication instruction. Caregivers should also be provided with education and support in the attempt to reduce hospital readmissions. Key family members should also be involved in the discharge plan, follow-up, preparation, and management practices is also significant. Caregivers ought to be educated to enhance their effectiveness and preparedness for the roles ahead. A study carried out by Jill Howie revealed the effectiveness of educational intervention strategies in the reduction of patient readmissions (Ural et al, 2015). The education model employed in the study is referred to as teach-back model. The concept behind the teach-back education model entails the teaching of key conceptualizations to patients and asking them to restate the information presented to them. Data is usually presented in simple language and is found on principles of health literacy.
Teach-back education model allows the clarification of knowledge and this enhances the establishment of the patients’ knowledge baseline (Ural et al, 2015). The objective of the research was to assess the impact of a disorder management interventions on the rates of readmission among patients hospitalized due to heart failure. The study incorporated the TEACH-HF intervention strategy in educating and teaching heart failure patients. The TEACH-HF intervention approach involved prompt appointment follow-ups, home-follow-up phone calls, education and teaching, and support service consultations. The TEACH-HF intervention was carried out from January 2010 – January 2012; this was the intervention grouping (n=548). The control group included patients treated using the usual care group (n=485); this study was carried out between January 2007 to January 2008). Results revealed that the TEACH-HF intervention was characterized with significantly reduced hospital readmissions (Ural et al, 2015).
Reference
Ural, D., Çavuşoğlu, Y., Eren, M., Karaüzüm, K., Temizhan, A., Yılmaz, M. B., & ... Bozkurt, B. (2015). Diagnosis and management of acute heart failure. Anatolian Journal Of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi , 15(11), 860-889. doi:10.5152/AnatolJCardiol.2015.6567
Wyer, P., Stojanovic, Z., Shaffer, J. A., Placencia, M., Klink, K., Fosina, M. J., & ... Graham, I. D. (2016). Combining training in knowledge translation with quality improvement reduced 30-day heart failure readmissions in a community hospital: A case study. Journal of Evaluation In Clinical Practice , 22(2), 171-179. doi:10.1111/jep.12450
