The impact of using nursing presence in a community heart failure program.

Nursing presence is the foundation of a long-term nurse-patient relationship that improves clinical decision making and ultimately patient outcomes. A home-based, advanced practice nurse-directed program uses presence at the heart of service delivery in an outpatient heart failure program that addresses complex healthcare needs of this patient population. The Community Case Management program has the following goals: (1) to improve access to appropriate cost-effective healthcare, (2) to prevent hospitalizations, and (3) to improve quality of life.