Your doctor and health care team

Who's on your health care team?

If you've just learned that you have heart failure, you will be pleased to learn that you have many health professionals to help you and your family.

For starters, your team always includes at least one medical doctor (MD), says Nancy Albert,Director of Nursing Research & Innovation at the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure at the Cleveland Clinic.

The doctor you see most often may specialize in primary care, cardiology, heart failure or some other specialty related to your diagnosis and symptoms. It’s not uncommon to have both a primary care doctor and a specialist -- one who will be assertive about the care you receive based on current treatment guidelines and the latest research.

If you’re a patient at a heart failure clinic, then your care may be managed by someone other than your doctor, especially advanced practice nurses (a clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner). Some doctors use physician assistants as well.

Other members on your health care team may include: 

• A pharmacist, to help you manage your medications

• An exercise physiologist, to help you follow a safe exercise routine

• A nutritionist, to help with dietary issues

• A social worker, to help and answer questions about insurance, transportation and other non-health issues

• Other specialty caregivers, as needed

• Home care nurses help those who are homeboundOther medical professionals, if you have other conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease or asthma.
  

When you see your doctor, he or she may


     • Listen to your lungs: This is done to check for congestion and fluid in the lungs or in  the space between lungs and chest wall.


 

    • Listen to your heart: This can detect irregular heart rhythms, heart murmurs and high pressures in your heart and lungs. It can indicate if the heart is enlarged.

• Look at your neck veins: Your neck veins are the “dipstick” to your body. It can show if you have too much fluid in your body. 

• Take your vital signs and weight: This is done to determine if your blood pressure and heart rate are controlled and your weight is stable.
 

• Palpate (feel) your abdomen: This shows us if your liver is enlarged, if you have fluid in your belly, or if you are bloated.

• Check your legs: This is done to check for swelling of your legs. This tells us whether you are retaining fluid.