Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Capstone

Keywords

Heart failure; Patient education; Self-care; Readmissions

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Degree Level

Graduate

Advisor/Mentor

Kippenbrock, Thomas

Committee Member

Jarrett, Anna

Abstract

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive disease that has a global burden on the healthcare system and on patient’s lives. HF patients who experience a hospital admission are at a greater risk of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, impacting healthcare spending costs and patient quality of life. Self-care activities by patients, such as monitoring weight and making lifestyle changes, are the hallmark of outpatient care, and is shown throughout the literature to reduce readmissions and impact patient quality of life. Unfortunately, many patients are either unaware of proper self-care management techniques or find them hard to follow. The Doctor of Nursing Practice project implemented a nurse practitioner-led self-care education program for hospitalized patients coupled with a post-discharge telephonic visit. This project was chosen for the clinical site due to elevated readmission rates of HF patients and the identified need to provide more comprehensive patient education. Nurse practitioners were an ideal provider of this education, as they consider the holistic view of the person, and combine both the art and science of nursing and the clinical education of the practitioner. This project produced favorable results including a reduced readmission rate for project participants, increased HF knowledge, and increased practice of self-care behaviors. This project demonstrated that nurse-practitioner led interventions focused on education and timely follow-up are successful in reducing readmissions, resulting in cost savings and increased patient quality of life.

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