Improving Heart Failure Outcomes (IHO)

The aims of this research are to: 1) Conduct a quasi-experimental study of rural hospitals to test if guideline-based care (standardized patient education, making a post discharge appointment with the patient's provider and calling the patient at 48 hours to reinforce HF education) improves patient outcomes (better self-care, and lower readmissions at 7 and 30 days post discharge); 2) Identify hospital (staffing, practice environment, costs) and provider (evidence-based practices) characteristics associated with better implementation of heart failure patient care processes; and 3) Determine which healthcare processes and outcomes are most important to heart failure patients. A quasi-experimental study with mixed methods will be used. The sample consists of HF patients (N=40, 20 each hospital) and nurses who care for HF patients on study units (N=90, 45 each hospital) from 2 rural hospitals. Survey data will be collected from patients (baseline, discharge, 48 hours and 7 days post discharge) and nurses (baseline, during patient education, on patient discharge). Secondary data will be collected quarterly on nurse staffing and once for patient readmission within 30 days of discharge. Structured patient interviews will be conducted with 10 HF patients in person to determine which health care processes and outcomes are most important to them. Both patients and nurses will be engaged to inform study procedures and outcomes consistent with the tenants of patient-centered outcomes research.