Teaching heart failure treatment guidelines and assessing heart failure therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of the heart failure screening form in teaching heart failure treatment guidelines and prompting students to evaluate patients' medications to initiate patient education and provider intervention.


METHODS
Between 2002 and 2009, 123 students used the heart failure screeing form during an elective cardiology advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). A subset of 41 students were also assessed for change in heart failure knowledge and confidence pre- and post-APPE.


RESULTS
A total of 1,114 heart failure patients were screened and assessed using the tool with a mean age of 71.9 ± 12.9 years. Of those, 535 (48%) patients met screening criteria and participated in heart failure education. From 2008 through 2009, there were 45 heart failure interventions with a 60% provider acceptance rate. Significant improvements were made in heart failure knowledge and in all areas of confidence at the end of the APPE for the 41 students assessed.


CONCLUSIONS
The heart failure screening form is an effective tool to teach evidence-based medicine and to prompt students to initiate provider intervention and patient education. Its use is associated with significant increases in knowledge and confidence in heart failure medication therapy management in fourth-year pharmacy students.
School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68178, USA. kpackard@creighton.edu
Kathleen A
KA
Packard
Thomas L
TL
Lenz
Christopher J
CJ
Destache
D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D055815:Young Adult