Characteristics of Patients with Decreased Cognitive Function Undergoing Treatment for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Heart Failure—Basic Survey for Standardization of Nursing to Prevent Discontinuation of Treatment

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of patients with decreased cognitive function undergoing treatment for acute exacerbation phase of chronic heart failure as a basic survey with a view to the standardization of nursing to prevent discontinuation of treatment of patients with declining cognitive function in the acute exacerbation phase of chronic heart failure. As the first stage of the research, using the interview guide created based on the background of discontinuation of treatment and symptomatic monitoring from 33 target literature sources, seven certified chronic heart failure nurses and 15 certified dementia nurses were given semi-structured interviews. Data obtained from the interviews was analyzed by qualitative induction. As a result, we obtained opinions/views on 8 situations namely, “cognitive function at hospitalization”, “characteristics at hospitalization, “characteristics when receiving examinations, procedures or treatment”, “characteristics of course of treatment”, “characteristics related to difficulties in grasping the symptoms of chronic heart failure and indices of deterioration”, “characteristics when using diuretics”, “characteristics concerning compliance with dietary restrictions” and “support required for discharge from hospital” concerning patients with declining cognitive function. In the future, it is necessary to prepare nursing protocols incorporating these contents for standardization of nursing.