IMPROVING THE KNOWLEDGE AND INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE FOR HEART FAILURE IN NURSING HOMES: A PILOT STUDY

This pilot study assessed the preliminary impact of an intervention designed to: improve staff heart failure (HF) knowledge; develop efficient interprofessional (IP) communication processes for improved HF management; and integrate both into routine practice in nursing homes (NHs). The intervention was implemented on single units in two NHs. A mixed methods approach was used to collect qualitative (interviews, observations) and quantitative (surveys) process and outcome data at baseline and three months post-intervention. Results identified trends towards improvement in HF knowledge, self-efficiency and IP communication. Unregulated care providers and clinicians benefited from the education to a similar extent, and collaboratively developed innovative IP communication processes to better manage HF in NHs. The findings of this pilot study suggest that the intervention is acceptable, feasible, and has a favourable impact on HF knowledge and IP communication among NH staff. Investigators are proceeding to conduct a larger trial to determine further outcomes.