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Clinical Trial
. 2001 Sep 29;323(7315):715-8.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.323.7315.715.

Randomised controlled trial of specialist nurse intervention in heart failure

L Blue  1 , E Lang, J J McMurray, A P Davie, T A McDonagh, D R Murdoch, M C Petrie, E Connolly, J Norrie, C E Round, I Ford, C E Morrison
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Randomised controlled trial of specialist nurse intervention in heart failure

L Blue et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objectives: To determine whether specialist nurse intervention improves outcome in patients with chronic heart failure.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Acute medical admissions unit in a teaching hospital.

Participants: 165 patients admitted with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The intervention started before discharge and continued thereafter with home visits for up to 1 year.

Main outcome measures: Time to first event analysis of death from all causes or readmission to hospital with worsening heart failure.

Results: 31 patients (37%) in the intervention group died or were readmitted with heart failure compared with 45 (53%) in the usual care group (hazard ratio=0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.33 to 0.96). Compared with usual care, patients in the intervention group had fewer readmissions for any reason (86 v 114, P=0.018), fewer admissions for heart failure (19 v 45, P<0.001) and spent fewer days in hospital for heart failure (mean 3.43 v 7.46 days, P=0.0051).

Conclusions: Specially trained nurses can improve the outcome of patients admitted to hospital with heart failure.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient distribution in trial
Figure 2
Figure 2
Time to first event (death from any cause or hospital admission for heart failure) in usual care and nurse intervention groups
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References

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