ACNAP Courses on Heart Failure for Nurses in Serbian

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Introduction

Worldwide there are approximately 26 million patients diagnosed with heart failure (HF)¹ and the prevalence is rising globally. In addition to this, many more individuals live with symptoms of HF, yet remain undiagnosed.  Although recent advances in care and management of HF have improved outcomes² , 1- and 5-year mortality rates remain high³ with many patients living every day with poor health-related quality of life⁴. As the population gets older many patients suffer from multiple comorbidities besides HF, which require detection and more complex management. Optimal care of these patients requires advanced skills and competencies by the healthcare professionals providing this care.

Nurses are important members of the multidisciplinary heart failure team. They provide care to heart failure patients during hospital admission, support discharge, ongoing outpatient follow-up, and empowerment of patients and their families through education. They also liaise with multiple health and social care professionals, coordinate care and implement evidence-based practice.

The leading European Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (ACNAP), endorsed by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC, have committed to providing the very first course series on heart failure specifically targeting European nurses in their local context and language.

Who should attend?

Registered nurses who are currently working with heart failure patients or in heart failure care, who are not already specialised in heart failure, and who do not already have specific training in heart failure.

Learning objectives

Based on the Core Curriculum for heart failure nurses developed by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC, the specific learning objectives of the course are to:

• Define heart failure, classification, causes and trajectory
• Recognise heart failure, and assess and monitor common symptoms and signs
• Understand the role of the nurse in the management of the patient with heart failure
• Deliver effective education to patient with heart failure and their family members
• Provide self-care and lifestyle advice
• Have a basic knowledge of pharmacological and device therapies
• Recognise the importance of comorbidities in heart failure, and planning and delivering individualised patient care
• Define the core principles of palliative care
• Teach leadership in heart failure nursing

Preliminary programme 

Download the preliminary programme timeline

• Welcome video : Introduction to the full programme.
  
• Preparatory course module : The preparatory course will be an introduction to heart failure epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment. It will be presented through a slide-set in the country’s local language. It will be accessible online with a duration of 60 minutes. It will include multiple-choice questions. After the course, participants will receive extra course materials and automatic follow-up questions on a regular basis.
• Pre-course assessment : Online knowledge test on heart failure.
• Online meet-up : Participants will be able to meet with their national faculty and and ask questions.
• Two-day training course : The first course series will be held online over two days for nurses working in Serbia. The course will be delivered by ACNAP-HFA international and local faculty in the local language.

Download the course programme

• Post-course assessment : A post-test of knowledge will follow the training course.

Notes:

• The preparatory course module and pre-course assessment will need to be completed before attending the two-day course online.
• Each course will have no more than 50 participants to facilitate interaction.
• Course materials including PowerPoint presentations will be translated into the local language and will be fully webcasted to allow access to the content post-event.
• To be eligible to the course participants must be a registered nurse, be an ACNAP member and live in Serbia.
• Participants will receive a certificate of attendance after the two-day training course.
• Participants will receive a certificate of completion only if they attend the two-day training course and complete every step in the programme.

Timeline 

Faculty

Course director

Maggie Simpson

• Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist, Scottish Adult Congenital Cardiac Service, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Glasgow
• Lead Clinician – Scottish Obstetric Cardiology Network, National Services Scotland

Local course director

Professor Petar Seferović

• Vice-President, European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
• President, Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC (2018-2020)
• Academician, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
• Professor, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, and Heart Failure Center, Belgrade University Medical Center
• President, Heart Failure Society of Serbia

Registration

Registration for this course is now closed. 

For any questions, please contact us at ACNAP@escardio.org

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• Access the guide in Serbian

References

¹ Bui AL, Horwich TB, Fonarow GC. Epidemiology and risk profile of heart failure. Nat Rev Cardiol 2011;8: 30–41.

² Ponikowski P, Voors AA, Anker SD, et al. 2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: The Task Force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)Developed with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. Eur Heart J. 2016; 37: 2129-2200.

³ Ferreira JP, Kraus S, Mitchell S, et al. World Heart Federation Roadmap for Heart Failure. Glob Heart. 2019; 14: 197-214.

⁴ Stewart S, Ekman I, Ekman T et al. Population impact of heart failure and the most common forms of cancer: a study of 1 162 309 hospital cases in Sweden (1988 to 2004). Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2010: 573–580