Abstract
BackgroundDisease-management programmes including patient education have promoted improvement in outcome for patients with heart failure. However, there is sparse evidence concerning which component is essential for success, and very little is known regarding the validity of methods or material used for the education.MethodsEffects of standard information to heart failure patients given prior to discharge from hospital were compared with additional education by an interactive program on all-cause readmission or death within 6 months. As a secondary endpoint, patients' general knowledge of heart failure and its treatment was tested after 2 months.ResultsTwo hundred and thirty patients were randomised to standard information (S) or additional CD-ROM education (E). In (S) 52 % reached the endpoint vs. 49 % in (E). This difference was not significant. Of those who completed the questionnaire (37 %), patients in (E) achieved better knowledge and a marginally better outcome.ConclusionThe lack of effect on the readmission rate could be due to an insufficient sample size but might also indicate that in pharmacologically well-treated patients there is little room for altering the course of the condition. As there was some indication that patients who knew more about their condition might fare better, the place for intensive education and support of heart failure patients has yet to be determined.
Highlights
Disease-management programmes including patient education have promoted improvement in outcome for patients with heart failure
Patients were intended to be representative of ordinary heart failure patients in mid- and small-size general hospitals in Sweden
Efforts to include patients in the study remained at the discretion of participating doctors and nurses by screening consecutive in-patients treated for heart failure
Summary
Disease-management programmes including patient education have promoted improvement in outcome for patients with heart failure. The prevalence of heart failure has increased in the western world due to ageing of the general population and improved survival of patients with acute coronary artery disease [1]. Heart failure (HF) is a major concern for health care providers due to increasing prevalence and rising health care costs [2]. Some readmissions have been ascribed to patients' lack of compliance, insufficient knowledge about diet, medication and symptoms of heart failure [6,7,8]. Education of patients has become an important component in order to increase the patients' self-care and compliance, which might improve quality of life and reduce health care costs [9,10,11,12,13]
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