Managing frailty in patients with heart failure
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Heart failure is a condition that progressively reduces the ability of the heart muscle to pump enough blood that meets the needs of the body. Frailty is one of the effects of heart failure, especially among the elderly patients. Frailty is a syndrome that combines effects of aging with outcomes of various long-term conditions. It is not a disease that a doctor can treat thus requires management. Whereas cardiologists can treat heart conditions including failure but managing of frailty is the role of the nurses.
Tips To Manage Frailty in Patients with Heart Failure
Choose and educate the patient about a healthy diet
Patients with heart failure should get proper advice on heart-healthy diet and how to comply with specific dietary requirements such as control of sodium intake. It is essential that caregivers teach the patients to eat the right foods to rejuvenate the heart and follow and adhering to fluid restrictions. Providing patient education is one of the essential duties of a nurse although not all of them who strictly adhere to this role. A study on nursing activities when managing frailty shows that 55% of the nurses spend around 15 or lesser time to provide a patient with education on medications, diet and life activities.
Physical exercise
A nurse should access the ability of the patient to engage in exercises to develop physician activities at a routine an intensity that a patient can sustain. The physical activity should include physical activities that improve heart health without causing unnecessary strain. Some of the low-intensity exercises such as yoga or tai chi help with a sufficient lowering of stress, increasing physical fitness and lessening depression. Many physicians recommend them as part of the management program for patients with heart failure.
Yoga might also be helpful in routine disease management and prevention of the fluid retention to improve quality of life among patients with HF. Nurses can include yoga as part of care, but it is essential to get views of other practitioners to determine if it supports the interventions.
Ongoing Assessments
Nursing can play a crucial role in continuing evaluation of patients. The examination of patients with heart failure should be custom to patient needs. Fluid status is one of the essential areas for nurses to assess while looking for these indicators:
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- Peripheral edema
- Orthopnea
- Weight gain
- Need for increasing a baseline diuretic base
It is also essential for nurses to evaluate any change in dietary behavior and part of an ongoing assessment. Extreme thirst, an increase of fluid intake, adherence to medication and lessening activity are some of the things that nurses should observe in frail patients. Checking the feet, ankles, and legs daily for signs of swelling is essential because it is a symptom of abnormal functioning in the body. They should refer any changes or non-compliance with the medication regimen to a patient’s physician.
Ensure that the patient takes the right diet
Eating healthy is an essential aspect in patient recovery, It is necessary for nurses to ensure that the HF eats a healthy diet that includes vegetables, fluids, lean proteins, whole grains and low –fat or fat-free dairy products. A patient’s food should have little or no sodium because too much of salt contributes to retention of excess water that increases the heart rate and causes shortness of breath. A doctor can recommend the appropriate sodium restriction.
It is also essential to limit the saturated and Trans fats in the diet. These types of fats also known as trans-fatty acids increase the risk of heart diseases. A nurse should share dietary information and restriction to the patient and family for strict adherence when way from the hospital.
Telemonitoring is crucial in maintaining health status when a patient is at home. Most heart failure hospital readmissions occur because of non-compliance with instruction. Managing frailty in patients involves following the patients up ensuring adherence of diet, exercise and medication including avoiding of harmful substances like alcohol and cigarettes.
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