Patient education tools are key to the follow-up of chronic heart failure patients

Patient education at the core of heart failure management

The 2012 ESC guidelines for the management of chronic heart failure emphasize risk stratification and patient education.

These are the essential topics that should be covered during patient education and the skills and self-care behaviors that should be taught in relation to these topics:

Educational topic Patient skills and self-care behaviors

Definition and etiology Understand the cause of heart failure and why symptoms occur

Prognosis Understand important prognostic factors and make realistic decisions

Symptom monitoringand self-care

• Monitor and recognize signs and symptoms• Record daily weight and recognize rapid weight gain• Know how and when to notify health care provider• In the case of increasing dyspnea or edema or a sudden unexpected weight gain of >2 kg in 3 days, patients may increase

their diuretic dose and/or alert their health care team• Use flexible diuretic therapy if appropriate and recommended after appropriate education and provision of detailed

instructions

European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2012. Eur Heart J. 2012;33:1787-1847.

Impact of disease management programs on mortality

Roccaforte R et al. Eur J Heart Fail. 2005;7:1133-1144.

Impact of disease management programs on rehospitalization

Roccaforte R et al. Eur J Heart Fail. 2005;7:1133-1144.

Patient education tool in heart failure

A patient education tool is an important pillar in modern cardiovascular disease management, and will: - Help patients to learn about their disease, symptoms, warning signs, and medication- Include role plays and scenarios to help patients respond better to disease-related events- Improve heart failure patient follow-up - Be adaptable to any disease

A French heart failure department, headed by Professor Patrick Jourdain, has created a heart failure education tool the aim being to improve care for patients with an ongoing or stable medical condition. It teaches patients and their families or friends more about heart failure and its treatment and gives advice on what to do about the disease in everyday life. The heart failure team (doctors, nurses...) organizes the game.

A tool box contains:oA boardoThe rules of the gameoSpecific “Knowledge” cardsoSpecific “Role Play” cards relating to a situation that puts the patient at riskoor that requires a particular reactiono6 “Player” countersoA 6-sided dieo50 colored health points