| Learning Objective #1: Recognize the effects that a telephone intervention plays in facilitating the health of a person with a diagnosis of heart failure | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss implications for continued development and testing of interventions incorporating follow-up telephone calls to people diagnosed with heart failure |
An experimental, two-group, pretest-post-test design was used to examine the effectiveness of follow-up telephone calls to patients diagnosed with heart failure. A convenience sample of men and women aged 21 years and older was obtained from the hospital. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group (n=45) or an intervention group (n= 45).
All participants received the standardized heart failure patient education. All participants completed the Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool, SF-36 Instrument, and Self-Management of Heart Failure Tool before beginning the study and at the end of the 12-week intervention. Only the intervention group received, at specified times, telephone calls from a registered nurse.
Data are being analyzed using the two groups repeated measures ANOVA for measures of purposeful participation in attaining health goals, self-management and functional health. Data will be compared between the two groups to determine the effect of telephone calls in relation to these measures. The findings of this study will be used to guide the refinement of the intervention and to guide future testing of a post-hospitalization intervention that incorporates follow-up telephone calls to people diagnosed with heart failure.