Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
2. Institute of Health Transformation, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research—Epworth HealthCare Partnership Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
Abstract
AbstractAimsTo describe the outcomes of an e(electronic)‐Delphi survey used to achieve consensus on the essential elements that should be included in a multidisciplinary, nurse‐led service for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).DesignThe study design was based on a three‐round e‐Delphi survey.MethodsA series of three survey rounds were used to gather expert opinions and achieve consensus on the key elements that should be included in a CHF disease management program from a sample of healthcare professionals and organizational leaders with expertise in existing CHF services. Consensus for each item was defined as at least 90% agreement.ResultsThere were 20 participants (18 healthcare professionals and 2 organizational leaders) in round‐1, 22 (20 healthcare professionals and 2 organizational leaders) in round‐2, and 17 (15 healthcare professionals and 2 organizational leaders) in round‐3. Fifteen participants attended a final online meeting (13 healthcare professionals and 2 organizational leaders). Consensus was obtained on five essential components: (i) consumer education, (ii) treatment optimization using a multidisciplinary approach, (iii) discharge planning, (iv) provision of supportive community care and (v) mechanisms to respond to early symptoms of decompensated CHF.ConclusionParticipants focused on mechanisms to improve treatment effectiveness, patient and family knowledge, communication between healthcare providers and supportive care in the community. The proposed model of care may be useful to other health service providers who are designing or adapting CHF models of care for the South‐East Asian environment.ImpactThis research provides a solid basis for using a Delphi method to resolve the challenges and issues of transferring global model‐based recommendations in CHF knowledge. The Delphi method proved successful as an important step in developing a culturally acceptable model of chronic care that meets the goals of local healthcare providers.