Heart failure in nursing homes: A scoping review of educational interventions for optimising care provision

Heart failure has an estimated global prevalence of 64.3 million cases, with an average age of a person living with heart failure at 75.2 years. Approximately 20% of residents living in nursing homes (a long-term residential care environment for some individuals) report living with heart failure. Residents living with heart failure in nursing home environments are often frail, have reduced quality of life, higher rates of rehospitalisation and mortality, and greater complications in heart failure management. Further, nursing home staff often lack the knowledge and skills required to provide the necessary care for those living with heart failure. Interventions for improving heart failure management in nursing homes have proven effective, yet there is a lack of understanding regarding interventions for optimising care provision. The aim of this review was to synthesise the current evidence on educational interventions to optimise care provided to people with heart failure in nursing homes.

A scoping review with four databases searched: Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Relevant reference lists were searched manually for additional records. Studies of nursing home staff or resident outcomes associated with changes in care provision (i.e., resident quality of life, staff knowledge of heart failure) were included. Results from the charting data process were collated into themes: intervention outcomes, changes to practice, and implementation and process evaluation.

Seven papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Most studies (n=6) were comprised of nursing home staff only, with one comprised only of residents. Study aims were to improve heart failure knowledge, interprofessional communication, heart failure assessment and management. Positive changes in staff outcomes were observed, with improvements in knowledge, self-efficacy, and confidence in providing care reported. No difference was reported concerning nursing home resident outcomes. Interprofessional communication and staff ability to conduct heart failure assessments improved post-intervention. Changes to practice were mixed, with issues around sustainability reported. Nursing home staff highlighted their appreciation towards receiving education, recommending that videos, images, and humour could improve the intervention content.

There is a paucity of evidence around educational interventions to support residents living with heart failure in nursing homes. However, available evidence suggests that educational interventions in nursing homes may improve care through improving staff self-efficacy and confidence in providing care, heart failure knowledge and interprofessional communication. The complexity of implementing educational interventions in the nursing home setting must be considered during the development process to improve implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability.