Heart Failure education day participants keep raising the bar for heart failure care

Exploring and advancing improvements in heart failure care is a priority for the Nova Scotia Heart Failure Network (NSHFN) co-chairs, Dr. Kim Anderson and Melissa Buckler, and their colleagues.

The duo was among nearly 200 physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other allied healthcare professionals who came together in Truro this fall for the network’s Heart Failure Education Day. The event aims to improve outcomes by providing an opportunity for healthcare providers from across the province to learn about evidence-based therapies and approaches to care for heart failure patients, share practical supports to improve the care they offer and to explore solutions to the barriers that they, or their patients experience. 

Dr. Anderson is also an Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiology, Medical Director of the Heart Transplantation / Heart Failure Program, Cardio-Oncology Clinic Director, Heart Failure Research Group Director. Melissa is a Manager of Planning, Development and System Performance within the Integrated Acute and Episodic Care Network.

Heart failure means the heart no longer pumps blood as it should. When this happens, blood, and the oxygen it carries, do not move through the body very well, so organs do not get as much blood as they need and fluids can back up in parts of the body, like the legs and lungs. 

In addition to being faced with a reduced life expectancy, patients with heart failure often experience high rates of hospitalization, repeat and long-term hospital stays and other challenges that affect their quality of life — from living in fear of what might happen, mobility issues, discomfort, shortness of breath, to the challenges of sticking to treatment plans that can involve many appointments, medications and lifestyle changes.  

Heart failure facts:

• Roughly 3,500 Nova Scotians will be diagnosed with heart failure this year.
• Heart failure is one of the top five reasons that patients are admitted to hospitals in the province.

Heart failure impacts on patients’ lives and the healthcare system are significant, but the NSHFN and Nova Scotia Health collectively believe that improvements can be made to the healthcare system to reduce the toll heart failure has on Nova Scotians. 

Among the key takeaways for participants was the need for collaboration across clinics and care teams to support person-centered, accessible, and adaptable care, including better navigation and coordination, and improved connections to community supports that can help patients avoid hospital stays, return to the place they call home sooner, and keep them healthier at home.  

Participants also focused on ways to better engage and educate patients on their care and support them to follow care plans, by reducing the number of medications they are taking, providing flexible follow-up options and better adapting education to patients learning levels.  

Nova Scotia Health’s Living with Heart Failure Patient and Family Guide was shared as a practical tool that frontline care providers can use with patients in their everyday practice. 

The NSHFN was created in 2022 with the support of Heart and Stroke Canada. Its goal is to advocate for a coordinated provincial heart failure strategy in Nova Scotia by increasing awareness of heart failure, support system improvement efforts across all regions, share best practices and resources to improve care, and provide evidence-based educational opportunities for healthcare professionals. This NSHFN is also supported by Nova Scotia Health’s Integrated Acute & Episodic Care Network which develops and implements strategies and models that promote timely,  efficient and high quality, integrated care.

Photos of healthcare professionals at the Health Failure Education Day.