What did healthcare professionals suggest about tailoring information to the needs of the individual?
Healthcare professionals suggested that information needed to be tailored to the need of the individual as some people are more able and/or willing to hear information than others. Also, people with heart failure tend to be older, more likely to accept what a doctor says and not proactive in asking questions (e.g. some patients may be unwilling to raise questions about prognosis). They may also be more likely to have short-term memory loss, are too ill to benefit from education or are in denial about their condition etc. Consequently, specialist nurses spoke of the necessity to find a balance between the education they offered patients and their capacity to receive it. As a consequence they tried to identify key issues and personalise the information accordingly. This would involve repeating these messages over time.