Effective Strategies for Patients with Heart Failure

~ 5.7 million adults in the US are diagnosed with heart failure with the NEW diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction accounting for more than 500,000 admissions per year. Projected 5-year survival for this population is ~50%. The prevalence of heart failure is projected to rise by 46% by 2030. The likelihood of a rehab professional treating a patient with a diagnosis of heart failuresomewhere along the rehab continuum is high and this diagnosis contributes to the high cost of healthcare in the US. The interplay of heart failure as a primary or secondary admitting diagnosis and frailty highlights the importance ofindividuals having a mobility specialist to examine, evaluate, and formulate a plan of care (POC) to address and mitigate frailty specifically related to musculoskeletal impairments,functional disability, ADL, IADL impairments, participation limitations, and disability. Unfortunately, the complex nature ofthese individuals' medical condition, insurance limitations,health care literacy, participation barriers, lack of knowledge of heart failure clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), limitationsrelated to traditional payer and continuum of care models often results in poor referral and participation in cardiac rehabor therapy programs for those with heart failure.

This course will provide a summary of the state of heart failure in the United States, prevalence of the condition, and cost to healthcare systems. The educational background qualifying rehab professionals to examine, evaluate, create plans of care, and progress or modify based on results and progress will be discussed. The benefits of exercise in heart failure will be discussed including literature supporting different exercise prescriptions. The integration of lifestyle medication into the plan of care will also be discussed. Theroles of rehab providers on the interdisciplinary team will be discussed. The impact of frailty and heart failure upon eachother will be highlighted. Exercise safety, education, health literacy, and medication management will all be discussed.

Highlights

• Optimize clinical decision-making for exercise management of end-stage heart failure patients, left ventricular assistive device (LVAD) patients, and patients status post heart transplant
• Examine methods for safely determining exercise prescription as well as for teaching participants safe self-assessment during exercise
• Streamline documentation and program assessment through examination of frailtyassessments, functional and qualitative outcome measures, as well as methods for monitoring and assessing patients' activity tolerance and response to intervention

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants