Main Findings : The results indicate that an intervention involving any human factor principles may nearly double an individual ’s probability of not being readmitted .
Principal Conclusions : Interventions with human factor principles reduce readmissions among HF patients .
Background : Human factors play an important role in health-care outcomes of heart failure ( HF ) patients .
A systematic review and meta- analysis of clinical trial studies on HF hospitalization may yield positive proofs of the beneficial effect of specific care management strategies .
Purpose : To investigate how the 8 guiding principles of choice , rest , environment , activity , trust , interpersonal relationships , outlook , and nutrition reduce HF readmissions .
Randomized, controlled trial of long-term moderate exercise training in chronic heart failure: effects on functional capacity, quality of life, and clinical outcome.
BACKGROUND It is still a matter of debate whether exercise training ( ET ) is a beneficial treatment in chronic heart failure ( CHF ) . METHODS AND RESULTS To determine whether long-term moderate ET improves functional capacity and quality of life in patients with CHF and whether these effects translate into a favorable outcome , 110 patients with stable CHF were initially recruited , and 99 ( 59+/-14 years of age ; 88 men and 11 women ) were r and omized into 2 groups . One group ( group T , n=50 ) underwent ET at 60 % of peak & f1;O2 , initially 3 times a week for 8 weeks , then twice a week for 1 year . Another group ( group NT , n=49 ) did not exercise . At baseline and at months 2 and 14 , all patients underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test , while 74 patients ( 37 in group T and 37 in group NT ) with ischemic heart disease underwent myocardial scintigraphy .  Quality of life was assessed by question naire . Ninety-four patients completed the protocol ( 48 in group T and 46 in group NT ) . Changes were observed only in patients in group T. Both peak & f1;O2 and thallium activity score improved at 2 months ( 18 % and 24 % , respectively ; P<0 . 001 for both ) and did not change further after 1 year . Quality of life also improved and paralleled peak VO2 . Exercise training was associated both with lower mortality ( n=9 versus n=20 for those with training versus those without ; relative risk (RR)=0.37 ; 95 % CI , 0.17 to 0.84 ; P=0.01 ) and hospital readmission for heart failure ( 5 versus 14 ; RR=0.29 ; 95 % CI , 0.11 to 0.88 ; P=0.02 ) . Independent predictors of events were ventilatory threshold at baseline ( beta-coefficient=0.378 ) and posttraining thallium activity score ( beta-coefficient -0.165 ) . CONCLUSIONS Long-term moderate ET determines a sustained improvement in functional capacity and quality of life in patients with CHF . This benefit seems to translate into a favorable outcome
Main Findings : The results indicate that an intervention involving any human factor principles may nearly double an individual ’s probability of not being readmitted .
Principal Conclusions : Interventions with human factor principles reduce readmissions among HF patients .
Background : Human factors play an important role in health-care outcomes of heart failure ( HF ) patients .
A systematic review and meta- analysis of clinical trial studies on HF hospitalization may yield positive proofs of the beneficial effect of specific care management strategies .
Purpose : To investigate how the 8 guiding principles of choice , rest , environment , activity , trust , interpersonal relationships , outlook , and nutrition reduce HF readmissions .