FP17 Medication Knowledge and Assistance in Older Chronic Heart Failure Patients

Abstract

Purpose: Patients with heart failure is one of the largest patient groups in the health care system and will probably continue to increase. One half of the patients are taken care of in Primary care. However the largest cost for heart failure is for hospital care. Improved symptom control is suggested to prevent readmissions to hospital and ESC guidelines recommend patients as symptom control to record daily weight as weight gain can be a sign of deterioration in heart failure. Adherence to daily weight is estimated to be about 50%. The aim of this pilot-study was to examine the feasibility of a weight monitoring system for patients with heart failure in order to improve patients' symptom control. Methods: Patients with heart failure in 2 Primary health care centres in Stockholm were included in this pilot study. Electronic scales were placed in patients home and patients weighed themselves as a daily routine and the weight was transmitted via the telephone network to a computer in the Primary health care centre. In case of weight gain >2 kg in 3 days the heart failure nurse contacted the patient. If there were signs of deterioration in heart failure the patients GP was informed for further measures. Results: Twelve patients were included and participated between 8-12 weeks. Two patients were receiving changes in medication due to weight gain. One patient was followed-up after being hospitalized for weight gain and deterioration in heart failure and 2 severely ill patients were also monitored successfully. The remaining 7 patients were in relatively stable condition and needed no interventions. The transmitting of weights from patients' home to the Primary health care centres worked satisfactory and only 1 patient had trouble using the electronic scale. Conclusions: In this pilot study there were signs that weight monitoring was feasible and relatively simple to use for both patients and nurses. Weight monitoring might be a useful tool to improve symptom control among patients with heart failure but further research and larger studies in this topic will be needed.