The treatment of heart disease can be very complex and is based on the severity of the disease and the patient's associated illnesses. Every detail of that treatment plan and its results are shared with the patient's primary care physician. A big focus of the program is education. Nurses call patients at home to ensure that they understand our instructions and basically to see how they're feeling. The program includes frequent check-ups, calls to make sure medications are taken, checks on weight gain or swelling, and to correct problems before they become crises.
Nurses also visit some patients at home.
The program staff includes nurse specialists and a research nurse who stay abreast of the latest in clinical research being conducted at institutions around the world, including Heineman Research Laboratories. These are patients who need a tremendous amount of emotional support and education. We want to help them manage their heart disease themselves without having to rely on an emergency department or hospitalization. By managing it themselves, they can help maintain their own personal sense of dignity. This is the most common symptom.