Heart Failure Treatment and Nursing Care in Nursing Homes
This paper examines the treatment of heart failure (HF) in nursing home residents, addressing key challenges in diagnosis, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management, and nursing care quality. It discusses the limited application of diagnostic tools such as B-type natriuretic peptides in nursing home settings, the role of interdisciplinary teams in HF management, and the importance of patient education and self-care behavior promotion. The paper also considers cultural factors affecting self-care interventions and outlines how nurses can improve patient outcomes through assessment, quality improvement initiatives, and tele-monitoring. Evidence from multiple clinical studies informs the discussion throughout.
- Introduction to Heart Failure in Nursing Homes: Overview of HF symptoms, causes, and treatment context
- Diagnostic Challenges and Suggestions: Diagnosis gaps and natriuretic peptide tools
- Management Initiatives and Interdisciplinary Care: Interdisciplinary HF management and self-care education
- Quality Nursing Care for Heart Failure Patients: Nursing evaluation, exercise, and patient education
- Patient Outcomes and Nursing Roles: Nursing tasks that improve HF patient prognosis
- Educational Interventions and Self-Care Behaviors: Cultural and educational factors in self-care promotion
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Integrates clinical evidence from multiple peer-reviewed sources to support each claim about diagnosis, management, and nursing roles.
- Organizes the discussion into clearly distinct thematic sections—diagnosis, management, care quality, outcomes, and education—giving the argument a logical progression.
- Acknowledges real-world limitations, such as the restricted use of natriuretic peptide assays in nursing home settings, lending the analysis credibility and practical relevance.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively synthesizes findings from diverse studies to build a cumulative argument. Rather than citing a single authority, the author layers evidence from clinical guidelines, nursing research, and intervention studies to demonstrate both the scope of the problem and the range of proposed solutions. This synthesis technique is particularly visible in the sections on educational interventions and self-care promotion.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by defining HF and its treatment context, then moves through problem identification (diagnosis), proposed solutions (management initiatives and interdisciplinary care), nursing-specific responsibilities (quality care and patient outcomes), and finally educational and cultural considerations for self-care behavior. The bibliography follows APA formatting conventions throughout.
Introduction to Heart Failure in Nursing Homes
Heart failure (HF) symptoms may occur because of systemic and pulmonary congestion, structural defects arising on account of HF, structural defects leading to HF, or from treatment complications. At first, studies addressing the issue of heart failure focused on HF patients with decreased left ventricular contraction. As a result, therapies were tested within this patient cluster. This cluster's agreed description is HF with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) (NCGC, 2010).
In order to treat chronic HF, both non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapy ought to be utilized for patients. While this condition is quite frequently witnessed among patients living in nursing homes, whether the suggestions put forward in the pharmacological therapy guidelines are implemented within this patient cluster remains unclear (Daamen et al., 2016).
Bibliography
Barents, M., Horst, V., Voors, A., Hillege, J., & Jongste, M. (2008). Prevalence and misdiagnosis of chronic heart failure in nursing home residents: the role of B-type natriuretic peptides. Neth Heart J., 123–128.
Davidson, P. M., Cockburn, J., Newton, P. J., et al. (2010). Can a heart failure-specific cardiac rehabilitation program decrease hospitalizations and improve outcomes in high-risk patients? Eur J. Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil., 17, 393–402.
Dinkelaker, S. (1999). Can a nurse-managed medication discharge planning and follow-up program affect readmission rates of patients with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure?
Daamen, M., Hamers, J., Gorgels, A., Tan, F., Schols, J., & Rocca, H. (2016). Treatment of heart failure in nursing home residents. J Geriatr Cardiol., 44–50.
Inamdar, A., & Inamdar, A. (2016). Heart failure: Diagnosis, management and utilization. J Clin Med., 62.
NCGC. (2010). Chronic heart failure: National clinical guideline for diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care: Partial update. London: Royal College of Physicians.
Oguz, S., Enc, N., & Yigit, Z. (2010). Adaptation of the compliance and belief scales to Turkish for patients with chronic heart failure. Turk Kardiyoloji Dernegi Arsivi. 38, 480–485.
Pi, H., & Hu, X. (2016). Nursing care in old patients with heart failure: current status and future perspectives. J Geriatr Cardiol., 387–390.
Salehitali, S., Dehkordi, A., Hafshejani, S., & Jafarei, A. (2009). The effect of continuous home visits and health education on the rate of readmissions, referrals, and health care costs among discharged patients with heart failure. Hayat. 15(4), 43–49.
Shojafard, J., Nadrian, H., Baghiani Moghadam, M. H., Mazlumi Mahmudabad, S. S., Sanati, H. R., et al. (2009). Effects of an educational program on self-care behaviours and its perceived benefits and barriers in patients with heart failure in Tehran. Peyavarde Salamat. 2(4), 43–55.
Shojaei, F., Asemi, M., Yarandi, A. N., & Hosseini, F. (2006). Self-care behaviors and quality of life among patients with heart failure. Iran Journal of Nursing. 18(44), 49–55.
Stromberg, A., Martensson, J., Fridlund, B., Levin, L-A., Karlsson, J-E., & Dahlstrom, U. (2003). Nurse-led heart failure clinics improve survival and self-care behaviour in patients with heart failure: results from a prospective, randomised trial. European Heart Journal. 24(11), 1014–1023.
Zamzanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., Howard, F., & Jamshidi, F. (2013). A supportive-educational intervention for heart failure patients in Iran: the effect on self-care behaviours. Nurs Res Pract., 492729.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.