[Social issues of medical outpatient care for elderly patients with chronic cardiac failure]

To assess efficacy of therapeutic medical education in the field of chronic cardiac failure (CCF) of social workers taking care of old persons on home nursing.

87 social workers filled in a special questionnaire before and after training in management of old persons with CCF.

Initial knowledge of the social workers about CCF was insufficient, especially their education was poor in CCF symptoms, medication, diet, regime, hospital and outpatient treatment, possible assistance from social personnel. Therapeutic training improved medical knowledge of the social workers.

Therapeutic education of social workers improves their knowledge about outpatient treatment of old patients with CCF and understanding of a social worker behavior with old CCF outpatients.