Journal of cardiac failure
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Clinical Trial
Predictors of delivery of hospital-based heart failure patient education: a report from OPTIMIZE-HF.
Although recent heart failure (HF) management guidelines recommend delivery of patient education and discharge instructions, little is known about predictors of delivery of these materials or how such materials relate to outpatient disposition postdischarge. This report assesses the degree to which the full set of HF discharge instructions and education comprising the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations process-of-care measure (HF-1) was provided, identifies factors predictive of use of HF-1, and determines if HF-1 predicts postdischarge outcome disposition in a registry and performance improvement (PI) program for patients hospitalized for HF. ⋯ Despite recommendations that complete instructions be given to patients with HF before hospital discharge, both PI tools to facilitate HF-1 and HF-1 itself are underused. Efforts should focus on strengthening processes and structures that will improve consistent delivery of HF-1 to all patients.