Caring for the patient should comply with the treatment plan for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). In addition to standard medical intervention, a patient-centered approach is to be applied since this type of care gives medical specialists an opportunity to help people cope with depression caused by their bad condition. The case of the patient is complicated by problems with breathing and edema, and these symptoms should be taken into account when drawing up a treatment plan. Otherwise, there is a risk of complications caused by insufficiently effective care.
A recommended treatment plan, in this case, involves the participation of several medical professionals. According to Azad and Lemay (2014), “managing symptoms of angina with nitrates and use of O2 or continuous positive airway pressure for sleep disordered breathing” should be maintained (p. 335). These measures allow monitoring the nature of the patient’s breathing and eliminating the difficulties caused by the lack of oxygen.
Also, as a measure of preventing breath shortness and pain, the prescription of opioids is proposed. As Azad and Lemay (2014) argue, “depression and anxiety symptoms can be treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or anxiolytics” (p. 335). This intervention will be useful because the patient is depressed and suffers from his illness. In order to increase the knowledge of the patient and his wife about the possibility of self-care, it is necessary to provide them with a special teaching plan that will help to cope with the symptoms of the disease.
The patient and his wife should be aware of the possible ways of preventing the deterioration of well-being caused by CHF. Despite the fact that “carers play a critical role in improving health outcomes of patients with chronic disease,” family involvement is important (Srisuk, Cameron, Ski, & Thompson, 2016, p. 336). As the way of providing the patient and his wife with relevant facts, informational brochures and videos can be offered, containing essential data about the necessary measures in case of complications. It is significant for both of them to understand the nature of all procedures and their importance, and for this purpose, all the stages of self-care plan should be explained.
Education should be conducted by several medical specialists for the comprehensive understanding of the range of activities. Srisuk et al. (2016) propose to involve “a cardiologist physician, a psychiatric nurse, a cardiac nurse” as stakeholders (p. 333). The plan itself may include the following steps:
- Daily blood pressure monitoring;
- Watching videos on how to prevent complications caused by CHF;
- Compliance with an appropriate diet (excluding products that increase blood pressure and impede circulation);
- Permissible regular exercises to stimulate the heart muscle.
References
Azad, N., & Lemay, G. (2014). Management of chronic heart failure in the older population. Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, 11(4), 329-337. Web.
Srisuk, N., Cameron, J., Ski, C. F., & Thompson, D. R. (2016). Heart failure family-based education: A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling, 99(3), 326-338. Web.