OASIS-Central

Patient and caregiver education is vital in the successful management of heart failure symptoms. Patients and caregivers can be empowered when considered as a key in their “healthcare team” and provided the understanding and tools to take control of their own disease process. Emphasize to the patient and/or caregiver that they do have the “first response” responsibility, as they are usually first to identify a symptom change. The education a home health agency provides the patient will arm the patient with an understanding of the relevant symptoms and the proper response based on each symptom. This may be an agencywide guideline, such as “Call your nurse when you have a weight gain of 2 pounds,” or a patient-specific guideline, such as “Take an extra Lasix on days where your wight is up greater than two pounds.” There are many resources for patient education, including the American Heart Association.

This is an excerpt from the book, OASIS-C Process Measures: A Program for Best Practices Implementation, by April Perry, RN, APN, MEd, Laurie Salmons, RN, BSN, and Bobi Rose, RN, BSN, CWCN, CCCN. Learn more about the book here.