Patient preferences for heart failure education and perceptions of patient-provider communication
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 2020, 34, (4), pp. 1094-1101
- Issue Date:
- 2020-01-27
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Objective: For people managing chronic illness, such as heart
failure, adequate health literacy is crucial to understand the
complex information that underpins self-care, yet evidence
suggests poor understanding in this patient population. To
better understand patients’ heart failure comprehension and
why knowledge gaps may exist, this study sought to explore
perceptions of patient–provider communication and ascertain unmet educational needs and preferences.
Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 symptomatic inpatients with heart failure.
Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously
until saturation was reached. Transcripts were analysed
using thematic analysis.
Results: Participants relied heavily on providers for HF
information and support, expressed numerous unmet
educational needs and had mixed feelings about quality
of communication. Participants expressed the need for
credible, tailored heart failure information that accounted
for comorbid conditions and preference for face-to-face
information delivery. Knowledge gaps included heart failure pharmacotherapy, symptom appraisal and management, cause and chronicity of heart failure, and a specific
action plan for heart failure symptom exacerbation.
Barriers to effective patient–provider communication
included providers using complex medical terminology,
lack of adequately detailed information, relationships that
did not foster open communication and participants’
memory problems.
Conclusion: Gaps in knowledge and poor communication
may indicate inadequate availability of multidisciplinary
heart failure management programmes and/or fidelity to
guideline recommendations.
Practice implications: Evaluating heart failure management
programmes is important to ensure consistent delivery of
best-practice education and care. Nurses play a key role
in the delivery of patient-focused health information.
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