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Change in Knowledge of and Adherence to Dietary Sodium Restrictions in Heart Failure Patients after Education by a Registered Dietitian
Author(s) -
Tan Candice,
Holland Sarah,
Tangney Christy,
Betz Melanie,
Mozer Marisa,
Sarcinella Kali,
Rasmussen Heather
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.264.1
Subject(s) - medicine , mcnemar's test , sodium , heart failure , dietary sodium , patient education , blood pressure , family medicine , statistics , chemistry , mathematics , organic chemistry
A low‐sodium diet (< 2000 mg) is often recommended for heart failure (HF) patients to help control symptoms. Often HF patients lack both knowledge of and adherence to the sodium guidelines, which may contribute to hospital readmissions. It is unclear whether a visit with a Registered Dietitian (RD) will improve dietary sodium knowledge and adherence of HF patients. Therefore, 57 HF patients completed two questionnaires in which sodium knowledge and intake before and after RD education was assessed. The sample was middle‐aged (56 ± 14 years), 58% male, and 63% African American. The mean ± SD time in between the first and follow‐up visit was 5.1 ± 3.4 months. Wilcoxon signed‐rank, paired t, and McNemar tests were used to assess the change in median knowledge score, mean sodium intake, and components of Parkland Questionnaire, respectively. A p‐value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Following RD education, 25 patients (44%) had increased knowledge (increase in median score from 7 to 8, maximum score of 10, p = 0.002), and 33 (58%) had decreased sodium intake, with a reduction from 2,493 ± 1346 mg to 2,093± 1218 mg (p = 0.01). Patients were more likely to sort all 12 food containers by sodium content correctly after the education (54% vs. 72%, respectively; p = 0.03). The year before education, 49% of patients were admitted to the hospital with HF symptoms, but only 21% were readmitted within one year after education; 28% of patients who were admitted the year before education were not admitted after education. Education by an RD improved both knowledge of and adherence to the low‐sodium diet, which may lead to decreased hospitalizations. Therefore, an RD is an essential part of the HF team.