Heart failure

Transcript

Welcome to this collection of learning and assessment on the topic of heart failure.

Supporting patients to take an active role in managing their heart failure is an important role for the pharmacy team.

Medicines may change frequently to help manage the variation in symptoms and the progression of the condition. The overall aim is to help patients maintain a good quality of life and to optimise the long-term outcomes.

Regular adjustments to medicines may leave some patients feeling uncertain about how to manage their medicines in the best way. Pharmacy professionals have an important role in empowering patients to feel confident in managing their medicines and condition.

Visiting the learning on this page will help you to feel confident in your knowledge of this important topic, and to apply this when consulting with patients with heart failure. There are opportunities to test your knowledge before you start to learn. And there are some further reference links if you would like to broaden the scope of your learning.

The resources and tools we signpost to will help you deliver the best patient-centred care to patients with heart failure.

This e-learning programme provides a holistic overview of the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of heart failure, including a presentation about considerations for end of life care. This programme will equip learners with the knowledge and skills to provide a comprehensive medicines management service to patients with this condition.

Please note: this e-learning programme has been developed and provided by the Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD). Users should recognise that this programme will refer to Northern Ireland's policies and organisations. After ordering this programme, you will be redirected to their website where the resource is hosted. Please be aware that CPPE does not maintain control over the accuracy and currency of this programme.

Learning Outcomes:

• identify the risk factors for developing chronic heart failure
• classify heart failure according to disease severity
• recognise the symptoms of disease progression
• describe best practice guidance in relation to both the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of the condition
• provide advice to patients with heart failure on lifestyle changes that may alleviate symptoms
• list the palliative care needs of patients with end-stage heart failure
• identify your role in the management of this patient group.

This guideline covers diagnosing and managing chronic heart failure in people aged 18 and over. It aims to improve early diagnosis and treatment to improve the length and quality of life for people with heart failure.

The aim of this e-course is to develop your knowledge and skills in cardiovascular therapeutics. This will enable you to provide a person-centred approach to support the healthcare of people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. It is designed for pharmacy professionals working in all areas of practice.

To facilitate your learning, we have structured the course into seven units. Some units are larger than others, but we estimate that you will need to commit an average of three hours of learning for each unit.

• Unit 1 – Introduction to cardiovascular therapeutics
• Unit 2 – Atrial fibrillation
• Unit 3 – Blood pressure
• Unit 4 – Cholesterol
• Unit 5 – Stable angina
• Unit 6 – Acute coronary syndrome
• Unit 7 – Heart failure

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of all aspects of this learning programme, you should be able to:

• describe the anatomy and function of the cardiovascular system
• explain the changes to cardiovascular system anatomy and function occurring in common cardiovascular conditions
• identify opportunities to develop your role and professional networks to deliver holistic and seamless care for people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
• apply your knowledge of medicines and cardiovascular guidelines to support evidence-based decisions and medicines optimisation for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
• demonstrate a shared decision making approach to the care of people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
• create a personal action plan that describes the actions you will take to support people living with or at higher risk of cardiovascular disease

This e-assessment is linked with the CPPE Fundamentals of cardiovascular therapeutics e-course programme, and assesses you on the learning outcomes in that programme. 

Why should I do this assessment?

This e-assessment completes the learning you began with the CPPE Fundamentals of cardiovascular therapeutics e-course. Access and successful completion will contribute to your own personal development plan, be recorded in your My CPPE record and will enable you to complete a CPD entry on the learning. It may also provide evidence for achieving competencies in the RPS Foundation or Advanced Pharmacy Frameworks. If you are working towards completing a Declaration of Competence for a pharmacy service, successful completion of this assessment will provide evidence of your learning.

Heart failure matters: Practical information for patients, families and caregivers.

Chronic heart failure- everything NICE says in an interactive flowchart.

British Heart Foundation - Heart Failure webpage.

The aim of the document is to provide practical, evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Heart Failure.