Description/Abstract
Background: Due to the increasing complexity of caring for heart failure patients and identifying those patients that are in need of palliative care referrals or advanced therapies, an order set was created to guide the decision-making process of those individuals. Methods: A mixed method design using qualitative pre- and post-surveys were used to measure the providers perception of using the model within their practice. Findings: The limited participation of providers in the project implementation site rendered the results of this project inconclusive. Reflections on two case-based patient encounters is provided to demonstrate the use of the Seattle Heart Failure Model with patients who have been diagnosed with heart failure. Conclusions: Integration of the Seattle Heart Failure Model order set within in the electronic health record of the entire cardiology practice was a strong first step for encouraging implementation of the tool throughout the system for all providers who see patients diagnosed with heart failure. Further projects that are disseminated system-wide to educate providers about this evidence-based tool are needed.
