American Association of Heart Failure Nurses(AAHFN) is a non profit organization commited to advancing heart failure practices through nursing education, patient awareness and research.
Evaluating tyhe patient at the bedside with the following criteria in mind will help you assess the patients’ symptoms.
Dyspnea Evaluation
*Patient reports shortness of breath at rest
*patient cannot count to fifteen without more thatn 3 breaths
*patient cannot walk to the bathroom and back without becoming short of breath
Signs of Volume Overload
*patient has had no weight loss since arrival in the hospital
*patient cannot lie flat; requires extra pillows or inclined bed to rest.
*patient has evidence of peripheralk edema
Additional Consideration
*Patient requires supplemental oxygen
*Improve symptoms, especially congestion and low-output symptoms
*Identify etiology
*Identify precipitatign factors
*Optimize chonic oral therapy
*Minimize Side-effects
*Identify patients who might benefit from revascularization
*educate patients concerning medications and self assessment of Heart Failure
*Consider and where possible initiate a disease management program.
If the patient or individual meets any of these criteria, consult your prescribing clinician about need for additional therapy.
from
AAHFN(American Association of Heart Failure Nurses)
At Baylor University Medical Center, 10 Roberts you can attend Heart Failure Classes every Wednesday at 2pm in Room 1019. The following healthcare professional are usually present to teach and answeer questions from CHF patients and participants:
pharmacy
nutrition
transplant coordinator
MD’s
10R Roberts Nurses
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