A nurse-managed population based heart failure clinic: sustaining quality of life

Background: Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 5.8 million people in the US. Each year an additional 670,000 new cases of HF are diagnosed and about 300,000 people die. HF is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization, especially in those over age 65, and it accounts for about $39.2 billion dollars in health care costs. The cost of inpatient care and the many treatment options available have led to the development of population based managed care (PBMC) HF clinics. Managed care most commonly occurs in outpatient settings, but there is relatively little data on the effectiveness of nurse-managed population based managed care (PBMC) in improving outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QOL) of outpatient HF patients (N=80) who used a nurse-managed PBMC heart failure clinic in a southern urban US city. Methods: This was a correlational descriptive study. Data were collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using Short Form (SF)-12 assessments. Results: Findings showed subjects were able to maintain their mental and physical status even though it would ordinarily be expected to decline over time. Conclusions: Use of nurse-managed PBMC heart failure clinics has value in sustaining QOL for patients and should be considered as a useful approach for maintaining patient physical and mental function.