230 - Heart Failure Academy: Outpatient, Non-clinical Education Class that Reduces Readmissions and Improves Self-care

Abstract

HF is a chronic disease that affects nearly 6 million people and one million hospitalizations in US annually. It is the leading cause of hospitalizations in adults >65, high burden of health care costs and one of the highest rates for readmissions. Education provided to patients regarding this chronic disease has been shown to be helpful, with studies showing trends toward lower all-cause mortality, length of stay, hospital costs and improvement of quality of life scores. However, research has shown that education concentrated during inpatient stay is retained in only 30% of patients. There is rising interest for alternative educational program formats to implement at centers across the US. Our site developed a focused, outpatient education program for people with HF and their family/caregivers called the “Heart Failure Academy (HFA)”. This promoted wellness & health decisions as well as increased specific understanding of HF & self-care management. Method: HFA is a disease specific educational class provided in an outpatient, non-clinical setting to patients and caregivers. A 2.5 hour session was provided at the site of hospitalization which focused disease management, self-care and community resource identification. Participants were identified during hospitalization and provided information on the course. HF clinic visits also emphasized participation and benefit to patient and caregivers. Participants were encouraged to 1-Bring a family member or support person 2-Identify additional questions/issues to discuss with physician 3-Identify at least one health practice that they could commit to improve their health & quality of life. Course was developed with inter-disciplinary approach lead by a dedicated RN. Support provided by pharmacy, cardiac rehabilitation, dietician, palliative care, exercise physiologist, community social services and mental health. Results: From October 2015-May 2016, The HFA had 65 patients & 44 family members attend and complete the session. There was a reduction in HF readmissions from 15.2 to 12.5/month since initiating HFA. A survey was implemented post-session to assess understanding and benefits. Results showed that 94% reported HFA was “beneficial” or “very beneficial” to their health, 6% reported HFA identified questions they now want to ask their physician about their health, 86% identified at least 1 community resource they plan to use and 74% identified at least 1 health practice change. Conclusion: Results demonstrate this supportive-educational intervention can have an improvement in the participant's level of understanding of their disease process and appears to decrease readmission rates. The HFA appears to also empower patients to ask questions, discuss issues and become an active participant within their health care team. Allowing and encouraging the participation of family and care givers has also shown to be beneficial. Further studies are needed to evaluate the ability to retain education and improve outcomes.