XII.

DISCHARGE PLANNING
Activity
-Advice the patient to ask the healthcare provider about the exercise program.
-Exercising most days of the week can make him feel better. Advice the patient to not be
discouraged if the progress is slow at first. Rest as needed.

-Advice the patient to stop activity if he gets symptoms such as chest pain, lightheadedness, or
significant shortness of breath.

-Advice the patient to find activities that he enjoys, such as brisk walking, dancing, swimming,
or gardening. These will help him to stay active and strengthen his heart.

-Advice the patient to ask his healthcare provider about cardiac rehab. This is a program that
helps him to exercise safely.

Diet

Advice the patient follow a heart healthy diet. And make sure to limit the salt (sodium) in his
diet. Salt causes his body to hold water. This makes his heart work harder as there is more fluid
for the heart to pump.

Tell the patient to limit his salt as directed by his healthcare provider by doing the following:

 Limit canned, dried, packaged, and fast foods.

 Don't add salt to his food.

 Season foods with herbs instead of salt.

 Watch how much liquids he drinks. Drinking too much can make heart failure worse.
Talk with his healthcare provider about how much he should drink each day.

 Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. It may harm the patient heart. Women should
have no more than 1 drink a day. Men should have no more than 2 a day.
  When the patient eats out, ask that his meals have no added salt.

Tobacco

If the patient is smoking, encourage him to quit.

Smoking increases your chances of having a heart attack by harming the blood vessels that
provide oxygen to your heart. This makes heart failure worse. Quitting smoking is the number
one thing you can do to improve your health. Enroll in a stop-smoking program to improve your
chances of success. Talk with your healthcare provider about medicines or nicotine replacement
therapy. Ask your healthcare provider about smoking cessation support groups.

Medicine

-Advice the patient to take the medicines exactly as prescribed.

-Encourage the patient to learn the names and purpose of each medicine. Keep an accurate
medicine list and current dosages all times.

-Instruct the patient to don't skip doses.

-If the patient misses a dose of medicine, advise him to take it as soon as he remembers. If he
misses a dose and it's almost time for the next dose, advice the patient to wait and take the next
dose at the normal time.

-Don't take a double dose. If the patient is unsure, advise him to call the doctor's office.

-Advice the patient to make sure not to mix up the medicines or forget what he taken the same
day. Refill the prescriptions before he run out of medicine.
-Advice the patient to talk with the healthcare provider if there’s a trouble with the cost of the
medicines.

Outpatient

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these signs of worsening heart
failure:

 Sudden weight gain (more than 2 pounds in 1 day or 5 pounds in 1 week, or whatever

weight gain you were told to report by your doctor)
 Trouble breathing not related to being active
 New or increased swelling of your legs or ankles
 Swelling or pain in your abdomen
 Breathing trouble at night (waking up short of breath, needing more pillows to breathe)
 Frequent coughing that doesn't go away
 Feeling much more tired than usual

Seek care immediately or Call 911 right away if you have:

 You have severe shortness of breath, such that you can't catch your breath even
while resting
 You have severe chest pain that does not resolve with rest or nitroglycerin
 You have pink, foamy mucus with cough and shortness of breath
 You have an ongoing rapid or irregular heartbeat
 You are passing out or fainting
 You have stroke symptoms such as sudden numbness or weakness on one side of your
face, arm, or leg or sudden confusion, trouble speaking or vision changes
Spiritual

-Advice the patient to always pray and have faith in God.