Outcomes of the Nurse-Led Interdisciplinary-Heart Failure Team Program (NLI-HFTP): A Pilot Study

Abstract

Information is lacking in long-term care regarding heart failure (HF) management, including in nursing homes. The current pilot project examined the Nurse-Led Interdisciplinary-Heart Failure Team Program (NLI-HFTP) intervention for nursing home residents with HF. This study used a pre-posttest one-group design with 46 nursing home residents who were primarily female, African American, of non-Hispanic ethnicity, and with an average age of 76 years. Post-intervention Nurse-Patient Interaction Scale scores were significantly higher than pre-intervention scores (mean pretest = 124.83, mean posttest score = 103.04; t [45] = 27.78, p < 0.001). Comparison of participants' medical records found a substantial decrease in the number of HF–exacerbated hospitalizations during the 3-month post-implementation period compared with rates during the 3-month pre-implementation period (16 vs. 7). The NLI-HFTP was feasible to implement in a nursing home, reduced referral rates to acute care hospitals, and could thus provide a better resident experience through increasing nurse–patient interactions. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49 (12), 18–23.]