CHF presentation....creative help needed!!

RedCell · Mar 23, 2009

If I were you I would base a large majority of it on Starling's Law, how the curve looks in a normal heart and how it is altered with CHF. You could ask the class for feedback/interaction as you are covering the topic and maybe get them to draw where they think the curve would be in various cardiac states. That should suck up a good 20 minutes. For the rest of the presentation you can refer back to the curve as you discuss various drugs and treatment modalities that work to reduce preload, afterload, and heart rate.

markisrn · Mar 23, 2009

I suggest to focus on something specific, for instance, how will your CHF patient present in the hospital in an acute setting, what will they look like, what will they complain about, what will you do? How will acess the patient, what will their lungs sound like etc, what can you expect the Doc to order after you page them, why did he order it?...or go another route from the office nurse standpoint....what is their history, what will they say to you over the phone, will their voice possibly sound funny, will they be constantly coughing or clearing their throat, what meds are they on, how do they sleep at night...are they in an emergent situation or can this wait until an appt tomorrow.? how will you triage over the phone? Either way with with CHF, try to understand fluid and electrolyte balance. "When the sodium is high, the patient is dry" etc. What IV Fluids are Hypertonic, isotonic and why does that matter to a CHF patient? What is third spacing? These are just some ideas from my experience. You don't have to use all or any of it, but I would try to narrow it down to something specific, at least to one care setting or another, so you can make a few strong points instead of just standing up and stating the signs, symtoms, and treatment..try to make it real from a nurses standpoint....above all relax and enjoy learning. Good luck

markisrn · Mar 23, 2009

Oh...by the way, Red Cell's approach will get you there too. Sterlings Law will make for good filler.

scared'o'needles! · Mar 23, 2009

Hi, I have done a presentation on this before (not 40 mins though). Nerve racking!! I will give you a run down on what I did and u may pick up a few pointers.

I started off with anatomy and physiology and the disease process.

Followed on presentation of ccf, signs and symptoms, diagnostic investigations and treatment and prognosis.

What I had to help with this was one of those models of the heart, and diagrams which I discussed and passed around.

I also went into rehabillitation and handed lots of leaflets etc out. There is a very good rehab programme by the British Heart Foundation called the Heart Manual, you may get some ideas from this for your quiz. You could even do role play by demonstrating certain investigations i.e., lung sounding raised jugular pressure etc., as well as with audience participation.

Ideas for interaction are to have 'fill in the blanks' quizes handed out for your audence when they arrive, based on the S&S, and management and treatment that will be discussed:-). You can also at the end if you are running out of thingsa to say, invite the audience to give feedback on good points, or things they feel could have been clearer etc., being gracious to critisicm will look good:-),

What about a presentation table with leaflets, diagrams and things which people can peruse towards the end of the presention, Could you get an audio tape of lung sounds etc., Your model of the heart could be there. Members of the presentation team can be manning it, encouraging discussions.

Oh and there is also the roles of all the other disciplines, specialists, radiologists, dieticians, lab technitions, OT, PT and the community crowd, that can fill some gaps too. Don't know if this is useful or if I rambled (tired) but good luck anyway.

scared'o'needles! · Mar 23, 2009

Can't edit my post:-(

What about more than one presentation table,

You can do pp for 5-10 mins, divide and circulate people around 2-3 tables for 15 -20 min

seat them and revision of quiz questions and answers etc.,

jorla9903 · Mar 23, 2009

Can't edit my post:-(
What about more than one presentation table,
You can do pp for 5-10 mins, divide and circulate people around 2-3 tables for 15 -20 min
seat them and revision of quiz questions and answers etc.,

This is exactly what i was looking for! you have been extremely, above and beyond, helpful!! THANK YOU! :bow:

scared'o'needles! · Mar 24, 2009

your welcome...hope your presentation goes well:up:

debfay · Mar 24, 2009

Who is the target audience? Other nurses, nursing students, or "patients"? What is your focus, is it the physiology of CHF, diagnosis and treatment options, managment, patient education needs, etc.? CHF is too broad of a topic to tackle without narrowing it down. There is too much information out there and you will go crazy trying to sort through it.

I had to do a 45 minute patient teaching session for one of my classes, and I did it on CHF. My main focus was CHF management, which basically means medication, diet, and exercise management. We did things like have the patients read and compare salt content on food labels (try things like Soy Sauce that has 975 gm of salt per tablespoon!), played games (I made up a word search game and a bingo-type game which my older patients loved!), and practiced some easy stretching and muscle toning exercises that got my audience up and moving and were a lot of fun. I think you're underestimating the length of your PowerPoint. Use it as an outline, and elaborate on each point.

If your audience is made of nursing students or nurses, ask your audience questions: Does anyone know the annual cost in dollars spent on CHF in the United States? (It's staggering!) Can anyone name 3 causes of CHF? What are the symptoms of CHF? What symptoms need to be reported to the doctor? Why is it important for a CHF patient to weigh daily? How does CHF affect the primary caregiver? Give your audience a chance to answer, then answer the question yourself or add to what the audience has said. Asking questions makes people think rather than just zoning out as you talk. You can use one PowerPoint slide with the question and the next one that follows could have the answer.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck with your presentation!

RN2Adore · Mar 24, 2009

Definitely incorporate the basic anatomy and physiology of the heart. Blood flow, chambers, and so on. Without understanding the way blood circulates, you can forget understanding CHF. Maybe a drawing while explaining. It is a great idea to present a case study. That is the best way to learn anything in nursing school. Critical thinking!!!! Good luck. I miss school so much

jorla9903 · Mar 24, 2009

Who is the target audience? Other nurses, nursing students, or "patients"? What is your focus, is it the physiology of CHF, diagnosis and treatment options, managment, patient education needs, etc.? CHF is too broad of a topic to tackle without narrowing it down. There is too much information out there and you will go crazy trying to sort through it.
I had to do a 45 minute patient teaching session for one of my classes, and I did it on CHF. My main focus was CHF management, which basically means medication, diet, and exercise management. We did things like have the patients read and compare salt content on food labels (try things like Soy Sauce that has 975 gm of salt per tablespoon!), played games (I made up a word search game and a bingo-type game which my older patients loved!), and practiced some easy stretching and muscle toning exercises that got my audience up and moving and were a lot of fun. I think you're underestimating the length of your PowerPoint. Use it as an outline, and elaborate on each point.
If your audience is made of nursing students or nurses, ask your audience questions: Does anyone know the annual cost in dollars spent on CHF in the United States? (It's staggering!) Can anyone name 3 causes of CHF? What are the symptoms of CHF? What symptoms need to be reported to the doctor? Why is it important for a CHF patient to weigh daily? How does CHF affect the primary caregiver? Give your audience a chance to answer, then answer the question yourself or add to what the audience has said. Asking questions makes people think rather than just zoning out as you talk. You can use one PowerPoint slide with the question and the next one that follows could have the answer.
Hope some of this helps. Good luck with your presentation!

Thank you for your reply. The target audience is other nursing students. The reason of the presentation is focused on nursing process (nursing care)

johnst10 · Mar 24, 2009

When I was in Weight Watchers the instructor showed in baby food jars how much sugar was in something. This would be cool for another audience.