DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL PATIENT EDUCATION RESOURCES FOR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: TRANSLATING THE CCS 2010/2012 GUIDELINES FOR PATIENT USE

In 2010, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) published the most comprehensive national consensus guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) which were further updated in 2012. The guidelines highlight the importance of evidence-based patient education and the pivotal role of self-care management to optimize outcomes. CCS initiated the development of a national initiative to offer patients, AF clinics and multidisciplinary healthcare providers the patient education resources required to facilitate the knowledge translation of the CCS AF guidelines.This presentation will focus on the role of nursing in leading the CCS AF Patient Education Initiative, and the process developed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and national representation. We will outline the objectives of the initiative developed jointly with CCS and AF physician sponsors, and the role and responsibilities of the nurse leaders from three Canadian centres. We will discuss the curriculum framework developed to meet the educational needs reported in current literature related to understanding the nature, multiple manifestations, and clinical course of AF, the medical management, and the recommendations for optimizing quality of life and reducing the risks of adverse outcomes.The unique involvement of over 50 non-physician AF clinicians from multiple Canadian centres will be highlighted. We will describe how we engaged experts from various disciplines, including nursing, pharmacy, psychology, chronic disease management, medicine, and patient groups to jointly develop the education resources. We will present the resources developed, and discuss their availability and use to support evidence-based AF care. In 2010, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) published the most comprehensive national consensus guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) which were further updated in 2012. The guidelines highlight the importance of evidence-based patient education and the pivotal role of self-care management to optimize outcomes. CCS initiated the development of a national initiative to offer patients, AF clinics and multidisciplinary healthcare providers the patient education resources required to facilitate the knowledge translation of the CCS AF guidelines. This presentation will focus on the role of nursing in leading the CCS AF Patient Education Initiative, and the process developed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and national representation. We will outline the objectives of the initiative developed jointly with CCS and AF physician sponsors, and the role and responsibilities of the nurse leaders from three Canadian centres. We will discuss the curriculum framework developed to meet the educational needs reported in current literature related to understanding the nature, multiple manifestations, and clinical course of AF, the medical management, and the recommendations for optimizing quality of life and reducing the risks of adverse outcomes. The unique involvement of over 50 non-physician AF clinicians from multiple Canadian centres will be highlighted. We will describe how we engaged experts from various disciplines, including nursing, pharmacy, psychology, chronic disease management, medicine, and patient groups to jointly develop the education resources. We will present the resources developed, and discuss their availability and use to support evidence-based AF care.