title: Development of a congestive heart failure protocol in a rehabilitation setting.
abstract: A number of patients in a rehabilitation setting were being transferred to acute-care facilities with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF). A transfer penalty was charged to the rehabilitation facility based on each patient's length of stay. A multidisciplinary team was assembled with physician support to address the problem. The team's goal was to develop a CHF protocol with guidelines that would allow for more frequent nursing assessments and reporting to physicians. The protocol interventions were initiated consistently and monitored on each shift. These interventions allowed for more timely assessment and treatment of patients with signs and symptoms of CHF. As a result, the number of patients being transferred to acute-care hospitals has decreased, allowing patients to complete their rehabilitation process without interruption. The decreased number of patients being transferred to the acute-care setting has resulted in fewer transfer penalties for the rehabilitation facility.
authors.affiliation: Forum Health Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, Warren, OH, USA. rmanderson@forumhealth.org
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joy
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carkido
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anthony
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smyntek
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perrine
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Puet
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D016730:Program Development; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D014481:United States