Il ruolo nursing nella prevenzione cardiovascolare Nursing Role in Cardiac Prevention

Nursing Role in Cardiac Prevention. C. Ric- cio, M. Sommaruga, P. Vaghi, A. Cassella, S. Celardo, E. Cocco, V. de Chiro, M. Marzaioli, E. Ruotolo, O. Zanni, M. Iacomino, C. Chieffo. The lack of a multidisciplinary approach is certainly among the causes of the ineffectiveness of intervention in the field of cardiovascular secondary prevention. By multidisciplinary approach is meant involving car- diologists, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, dieticians as well as psychologists in the framing of interventions tailor made to patients needs. In particular, people working in the nursing area can play a very important role which can be summed up into three different levels: a technical level, aiming at the co- operation with cardiologists to carry out diagnostic exam- inations and give a portrait of patients in terms of risks; a second level consists in giving information, and helping to face the disease, as well as stepping in during its evolution, almost a health counsellor for the patients; finally the nurse can act as a psychological support both to the pa- tient and his/her family during acute illnesses and reas- sure him/her that he/she is being treated properly and that successively will resume a good quality of life. Hospital represent an ideal place for secondary pre- vention, at least in the first phases of the intervention. The results collected during hospitalization would be rapidly lost if they were not followed and sustained in the medi- um-long term by structured follow-up programmes. The development of ambulatories might represent a link between hospitals and the territory, i.e. the specialist and one's personal physician. The staff of ambulatories should comprise a cardiologist and a trained professional nurse, this being specialized, specifically, in cardiology and cardiovascu- lar prevention. Staff of the type described could work inde- pendently, co-ordinating ambulatories on the territory with- in the framework of standardized recognized protocols and relating information concerning patients, general practition- ers and other surgeries. In this way, an essential link of the continuity in medical care would be guaranteed.