Efficient Patient Education

Efficient patient education is of the utmost importance for patients who have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF). In order for a patient to adhere to the complexities of their care, it is essential for them to have a thorough understanding of the necessary lifestyle changes they must adopt. Therefore, patient education for care after discharge should begin upon admission (Messina, 2016). Certainly, when a patient is autonomous in their care, positive patient outcomes tend to follow (Messina, 2016). Additionally, proper follow-up care is of equal importance once a patient has been discharged. (Messina, 2016). Thus, patient education, early discharge planning, and well-organized follow up care may reduce the chance that a patient will be readmitted to the hospital within thirty days of discharge (Messina, 2016). The medical staff at the James A. Haley Veterans Administration (VA) Medicals Centers located in Central Florida recognized the positive impact of efficient education and post discharge interactions with CHF patients could have on their outcomes and the need for avoidable readmissions. As a result of a noticeable …show more content…
Often times many patients will delay reaching out to their health care provider because they believe they are not in a life-threatening situation. Consequently, the patients who decline to contact their care provider in the event of a change in their condition fail to realize that the nature of CHF is a life-threatening situation, which requires close monitoring at all times. Thus, the HT could be effective in not only reducing readmissions within thirty days of discharge, but it could also be a teaching tool for disease maintenance which leads to patient autonomy, which in turn leads to a higher quality of life in those patients who have