title: Counting the cost of heart failure to the patient, the nurse and the NHS.
abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a complex, incurable condition with a number of causes. Symptoms may vary depending on the stage of HF, as well as the origin. HF is a costly condition to the NHS with readmission rates among the highest for any condition in the UK. However, many of these readmissions are preventable. Educating the patient and his/her family has been shown to reduce readmission rates, which could ease the financial burden on the NHS. This article reviews the literature surrounding current HF issues, and aims to explore the current guidelines of managing HF and examine the role of the nurse. Readers will be given an overview of the causes and symptoms, along with medication management and the clinical skills required. Psychological conditioning plays an important role in the patients' physical wellbeing. A clear understanding of knowing how HF should be managed can improve a patient's outlook and enable him/her to take control of his/her condition.
authors.affiliation: St George's NHS Primary, Care Trust.
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tansey
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D002983:Clinical Competence; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010359:Patient Readmission; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology