Home health agencies that educate aides on caring for patients with heart failure (HF) could reduce the number of preventable 911 calls that these employees make, according to a study published in the JAMA Network Open on Nov. 10, 2025.
   
The study, which followed 102 home health aides, measured their HF-related knowledge and caregiving self-efficacy. Of these aides, around 64% reported that they had provided care for five or fewer HF patients in the past. The majority of surveyed aides also noted that they had received little to no prior HF training.   
 
Throughout the course of the study, 52 of the surveyed participants went on to participate in a specialized HF training course. While the study authors noted that the change in their self-efficacy scores was not statistically significant, the training did increase caregiver competency on the topic. 
 
Another intervention explored in the study was the use of a chat feature to boost communication between aides and nurses and discuss clinical observations. When utilized, this feature was associated with a decrease in self-reported preventable 911 calls.