Cognition in heart failure: an overview of the concepts and their measures.
OBJECTIVE
To review cognitive impairment and explore current measurement concerns faced by nurse practitioners caring for individuals with heart failure.


METHODS
Review of peer-reviewed research articles published on the topic.


CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive impairment is prevalent among individuals with heart failure. Impairment frequently involves one or more domains, including attention, memory, and executive function. No gold standard screening measure was identified from the reviewed literature.


CONCLUSIONS
It is imperative that clinicians are aware of cognitive impairment and its implications for their patients with heart failure. Cognitive impairment likely contributes to multiple clinical implications, including a decreased ability to attend to and comprehend patient education materials and an inability to appropriately assess and self-manage symptoms.
Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA. lisa.bauer@nursing.ucsf.edu
Lisa C
LC
Bauer
Julene K
JK
Johnson
Bunny J
BJ
Pozehl
D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing; D019468:Disease Management; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010353:Patient Education as Topic