Impact of Hospital to Home Initiative on Therapeutic Compliance Functional Ability and Health Related Quality of Life among Patients with Heart Failure

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is a major global health Challenge because of its chronic and complex in nature. The significance of Patient education and counselling in the treatment of heart failure is widely acknowledged. Nurses are at forefront in assisting patients in understanding the complexity of their disease and treatment strategies. Nurse-directed educational interventions with hospitalized patients at discharge in various configurations have been shown to improve therapeutic compliance, functional ability and health related quality of life. OBJECTIVES: 1. To describe the therapeutic compliance, functional ability and health- related quality of life in patients with heart failure amongst patients attending KMCH Hospital. 2. To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Hospital to Home initiative intervention package in the study population. METHODS: The research process for this study was guided by the conceptual framework based on Dr.Imogene King s Goal attainment theory Model. A True Experimental Research Design was undertaken for the study. The study was conducted in cardiac wards and cardiac OPDs of the Kovai Medical Center and Hospital at Coimbatore. 220 Heart failure patients were recruited for the study. Among them, 110 heart failure patients who were in the age group of 31 80 years, with NYHA II and III functional class, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction of 20 - 40% and clinically stable with medications were randomly selected to receive H2H intervention. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that the Hospital to Home initiative was an effective, novel intervention strategy, incorporated with digital technology substantiated to improve patients adherence to the therapeutic regimen. These promised results suggested that the comprehensive education model can be implemented by Cardiac Nurses among heart failure patients at discharge from acute care settings to home care management. LIMITATION: The study was limited to patients with heart failure, who were being treated at KMCH Hospital, Coimbatore.