Lesson 1Past heart problems, previous heart failure, heart vessel disease, procedures to open blocked arteries, irregular heartbeats, and hospital staysThis part looks at how to get detailed past heart history, covering previous heart failure, heart vessel disease, artery-opening procedures, irregular heartbeats, and hospital visits, to better understand possible causes, outlook, and treatment paths.
Confirmed heart failure diagnosisHeart vessel disease and past heart attack detailsProcedures like PCI, CABG, and other artery fixesHistory of upper or lower chamber irregular beatsPrevious heart and heart failure hospital staysStarting heart pump strength and past scansLesson 2Related signs: chest discomfort, fluttering heart, fainting, near-fainting, fever, cough with phlegm versus dryThis part explains how to carefully check for chest discomfort, heart fluttering, fainting, near-fainting, and lung or infection signs, to tell heart issues from non-heart ones and spot urgent warning signs needing quick action.
Nature and timing of chest discomfortHeart fluttering pattern and what starts itFainting and near-fainting warning signsFever, chills, and infection hintsCough type, phlegm, and coughing bloodPain sharp with breathing versus pressing feelingLesson 3Start, length, and worsening of breathlessness and recent triggering eventsHere we organise questions on when breathlessness started, how long it lasts, and how it's getting worse, plus recent triggers, to separate sudden, building-up, and long-term patterns and find causes like infections, poor blood flow, or not following treatment.
Exact start and timeline of breath troubleStable, getting better, or getting worse patternTriggers: effort, rest, or lying downRecent infections, fevers, or tripsNot sticking to diet or medicineRecent operations, injuries, or pregnancyLesson 4Exercise ability, changes in daily tasks, and weight increase patternWe check how to assess exercise ability, shifts in daily tasks, and weight gain trends, using activity history and recent changes to measure fluid buildup, treatment response, and need to adjust water pills or other remedies.
Usual versus current activity levelBreath trouble with steps or short walksRecent drop in daily tasksDaily weight checking habitsQuick weight gain and fluid holdingEffect on job and family care rolesLesson 5Social and daily function, home help, ability to come for check-ups, and access to transport/emergency helpThis part directs assessment of social and daily function, home support, check-up ability, and access to transport or emergency services, to plan safe going home, self-care, and extra community help needs.
Living setup and family helper supportAbility to do basic daily choresHealth knowledge and self-care abilitiesReliable transport for check-upsAccess to medicine shop and emergency careMoney or insurance limitsLesson 6Fluid intake, salt intake, alcohol use, and recent medicine changes or missed dosesHere we concentrate on checking fluid and salt intake, alcohol use, and recent medicine changes or missed doses, explaining common triggers of sudden worsening heart failure and guiding focused patient teaching and advice.
Daily fluid amount and limitsSalt sources in food and habitsAlcohol amount, pattern, and heavy drinkingRecent new or stopped medicinesMissed doses of heart failure medicinesPatient grasp of treatment planLesson 7Sticking to medicines, over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies, and recent painkiller or steroid useThis part deals with sticking to medicines, shop-bought drugs, herbal treatments, and recent painkiller or steroid use, pointing out things that increase fluid holding, blood pressure, or kidney problems in heart failure patients.
Barriers to taking prescribed drugsUse of shop cold and pain remediesRecent painkiller or similar useBody-wide or breathed-in steroid exposureHerbal and extra productsMedicine list check and recordsLesson 8Other health issues and risks: blood pressure control, sugar control, long-term lung disease, kidney disease, and sleep breathing pausesThis part covers asking about other health issues and risks, including blood pressure, sugar disease, long-term lung problems, kidney issues, and sleep breathing stops, stressing control level and links that affect sudden breath trouble and heart failure seriousness.
Blood pressure history and control levelSugar disease length and problemsLong-term lung issues, wheezes, and lung function historyLong-term kidney disease stage and changesChecking for sleep breathing pause signsOverweight, smoking, and fat levels in bloodLesson 9Breath trouble when lying flat, sudden night breath trouble, and night cough detailsWe look at specific questions about breath trouble lying flat, sudden night breath trouble, and night cough, including start, how often, and position triggers, to separate heart failure from lung or throat causes of night signs.
Number of pillows and sleep positionTiming and frequency of night breath episodesNight cough pattern and triggersRelief sitting or standingOverlap with stomach acid or wheeze signsEffect on sleep quality and tirednessLesson 10Signs pointing to other causes: one-sided leg pain/swelling, coughing blood, fever, sharp chest pain, or nerve signsWe focus on signs pointing to other causes, like lung clot, lung infection, collapsed lung, or nerve events, teaching specific questions to tell these from main heart failure shows.
One-sided leg pain or swelling historySharp chest pain and lung clot suspicionFocused nerve weakness or confusionHigh fever, shakes, and lung infection hintsSudden breath trouble and collapsed lungWarning signs needing quick action
