title: [What criteria are used by home care nurses to decide about frequency of home visits in the follow-up of patients with heart failure?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Factors that directly or indirectly influence nurses' decisions regarding aspects of in-hospital care are well-known. On the other hand, little is known about which elements/criteria are used by home-care nurses to make decisions about the frequency of follow-up visits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to identify the criteria used for defining the frequency of follow-up visits in patients with heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Different study methods were used. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed to identify what specific aspects are considered for deciding to provide homecare to patients with heart failure. Three focus groups were then held with homecare nurses with experience with heart failure patients, to discuss and reach a consensus regarding the criteria for frequency of follow-up visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The criteria that guide decision-making about the frequency of follow-up home visits are: a) clinical condition of the patient, b) presence of a caregiver, c) compliance/adherence to drug therapy, d) characteristics of the patient, e) workload, f) professional experience of the healthcare operator, f) assessment by the patient's general practitioner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study identified which factors influence home-care nurses' decision-making in defining the frequency of follow-up for patients with heart failure. The decision-making process is based on the evaluation of multiple factors and also considers the organizational context in which home-care nurses work and their workload. Accurate criteria need to be defined.
authors.affiliation: Università degli studi di Udine, Italy. illarj.achil@uniud.it
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Achil
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gattesco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palese
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000451:nursing*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires