Heart failure readmissions have significant ramifications on a global, national, regional, and local level. The significant consequences of heart failure readmissions within 30 days fo discharge include increased mortalities and increased financial constraints on healthcare. Because of the negative effects of thirty-day heart failure readmissions, quality improvement that focuses on a reduction of readmissions for this population is necessary. The Iowa Model is a theoretical framework that guides quality improvement projects in healthcare. In conjunction with the Theory of Diffusion of Innovations (DIT) by Everett Rogers and BF Skinner’s Behaviorist Theory, the essential elements of a process change can be coordinated and designed to provide meaningful and clinically significant findings. With the decision points outlined by the Iowa Model, the major tenets and subtenets of this framework are succinctly addressed with the utilization of change agents in the DIT and the test/re-test aspects of the Behavioral Theory. The objective of this quality improvement project was to determine if enhanced follow-up education and caregiver involvement increased knowledge retention and reduced thirty-day heart failure readmissions. Administering the Atlanta Heart Failure Knowledge Test (AHFKT) to heart failure patients while in an acute department in a small community hospital was the initial task required to gain participants in this project. Two follow-up phone calls subsequently took place to provide education and then to conclude if knowledge retention took place or not. The participants were followed for 30 days after their discharge and monitored for readmission. Statistical analyses were used to determine pre-test and post-test scores on the AHFKT, as well as thirty-day heart failure readmissions during the intervention phase compared to the average monthly thirty-day heart failure readmission rate for the past three years. The results were statistically significant. The participant’s scores on the AHFKT before the intervention significantly changed. An improvement occurred in the participant’s test scores and a reduction in thirty-day heart failure readmissions during the intervention phase, compared to the average monthly thirty-day heart failure readmissions over the past three years at the project site. The literature has demonstrated that post-discharge education of heart failure patients results in decreased thirty-day readmissions, decreased morbidity/mortality, and reduced healthcare expenditures. This project has demonstrated the positive impact that provider education can have on patients with a chronic disease such as heart failure. Implementing a designed teaching structure that empowers patients to manage their condition efficiently has better outcomes than simply telling them what to do when they get home from the hosptial. This project was meant to be built upon by future quality improvement processes that reinforces the premise that quality education and caregiver involvement is essential for improved outcomers.
