The effect on re-hospitalization of an education /surveillance program on patients with functional class II and III congestive heart failure. Muñoz, Miguel. The University of New Mexico, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2002. 3041973.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of an education/surveillance program on the quality of life, levels of depression and re-hospitalization frequency of participants' classified as New York Heart Association functional class II and class III congestive heart failure. Twenty men and women 50 years or older diagnosed with congestive heart failure and living in the San Juan, Puerto Rico Metropolitan area participated in the study. All participants' completed the Beck's Depression Inventory and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire prior to and at the completion of the 90-day intervention. Re-hospitalizations were documented in the participants' medical records. This information was analyzed for re-hospitalization frequencies as well as duration during the 90-day trial.

An independent samples t test was used to compare pre and post-test scores for the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (LIhFE). An independent samples t test was also used to determine differences between re-hospitalization frequencies. Although the experimental group experienced more re-hospitalizations and more days in the hospital when compared to the control group, no significant difference between levels of depression, quality of life or re-hospitalization frequencies were found between groups.