Lydia Albuquerque, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, CCRN was named the 2021 HFSA Nursing Clinical Excellence Leadership Award winner. Learn more >>
Lydia passion for patients with heart failure began while she was a student in the 70’s during which the only medication available to treat heart failure patient was digoxin and Lasix in the country that she graduated to be a nurse. Her passion led her to pursue her dream of improving outcomes among heart failure patients. She served as the lead nurse practitioner and led a multidisciplinary round to manage care of patients. Her team developed the pathways to clinical documentation, optimizing medications compliance, scheduling follow-up visits before patients being discharged from hospital, a further follow-up within 72 hours by phone, conducting teach-back education programs, and addressing social determinants of health. Through this program she has developed an astute group of nurses who understand and care for patients with heart failure and symptom management and has been part of the team that has received the Heart failure Certification and Gold Plus award from The Joint commission for the fifth cycle.
Dr. Albuquerque has served as a team member on the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program. In collaboration with The Congestive Heart Failure Transition Program, participants in the study had access to a dedicated dietician, health educator, social worker, navigators, a mental health clinician, patient care coordinators, and a pharmacist. The results of the study indicated a decrease in hospital readmission rates and led to the development of a specialized heart failure walk-in clinic, and a shared medical model to care for patients with heart failure.
Dr. Albuquerque has an impressive track record of accomplishments. She has consistently shown determination, self- motivation, and a superior work ethic in her career development and clinical practice area related to heart failure patients. An emerging scholar, she has participated in numerous studies to improve patient Heart failure patients self-reporting and quality of life, assess mutuality and preparedness to role strain among heart failure patients’ caregivers, cardiac rehabilitation adherence to health-health behavior and health status. Currently she has received grants to improve heart health among women in inner city. She has presented at national and international conferences and served as education & publication committee member of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. She continues her work in clinical practice and academia to prepare nurses and nurse practitioner.