Development of an evidence-based scoring system (HF-IS) to assess the quality of heart failure programmes for patients postdischarge from hospital

Population-based evaluation of the impact of socioeconomic status on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure in integrated care settings

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with poor outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to examine the influence of SES on health outcomes after a quality of care improvement intervention for the management of HF integrating hospital and primary care resources in a health care area of 209 255 inhabitants.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based pragmatic evaluation of the implementation of an integrated HF program by conducting a natural experiment using health care data. We included all individuals consecutively admitted to hospital with at least one ICD-9-CM code for HF as the primary diagnosis and discharged alive in Catalonia between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019. We compared outcomes between patients exposed to the new HF program and those in the remaining health care areas, globally and stratified by SES.

RESULTS

A total of 77 554 patients were included in the study. Death occurred in 37 469 (48.3%), clinically-related hospitalization in 41 709 (53.8%) and HF readmission in 29 755 (38.4%). On multivariate analysis, low or very low SES was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and clinically-related hospitalization (all Ps <.05). The multivariate models showed a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause death (HR, 0.812; 95%CI, 0.723-0.912), clinically-related hospitalization (HR, 0.886; 95%CI, 0.805-0.976) and HF hospitalization (HR, 0.838; 95%CI, 0.745-0.944) in patients exposed to the new HF program compared with patients exposed to the remaining health care areas and this effect was independent of SES.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive transitional HF management program improved clinical outcomes, both overall and across SES strata.

Quality care in the management of heart failure in a health area

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the heart failure situation in a health area, as well quality criteria.

METHOD

Cross-sectional observational study of patients diagnosed with heart failure by collecting data from their clinical history in the «Turriano» computer program. The variables analysed were, comorbidities, control of cardiovascular risk factors, treatments, number of chronic diseases, and admissions. The level of adherence to drugs in relation to heart failure by determining the ratio between the percentage of prescribed drugs and drugs withdrawn from pharmacy is also analysed using the Turriano prescription program. The study consisted of an improvement cycle or evaluative cycle, following the methodology proposed by Palmer to evaluate the quality of ambulatory care.

RESULTS

A total of 161 patients were included, with a mean age of 81.24 years, and 54.6% were women. Almost all of them (95%) had disease associated high blood pressure, including diabetes 42.2%, dyslipidaemia 8.9%, obesity 49.1%, and cancer 13.7% Some type of heart disease was diagnosed in 62.2% of patients with 29.2% ischaemic heart disease, 46.6% cardiac arrhythmias, and 20.5% valve diseases. More than 60% had between 4 and 6 concomitant diseases. An acceptable control is observed as regards the cardiovascular risk factors. Diuretic treatment was taken by 70%, with 32% and 35% taking angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists. More than 20% have had 1-2 admissions in the last year, with cardiac decompensation being the main cause. There was 16% mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with heart failure have a significant number of chronic concomitant diseases, although there is an acceptable cardiovascular risk factors control. There are quality criteria that can be improved.

A systematic approach to chronic heart failure care: a consensus statement

The National Heart Foundation of Australia assembled an expert panel to provide guidance on policy and system changes to improve the quality of care for people with chronic heart failure (CHF). The recommendations have the potential to reduce emergency presentations, hospitalisations and premature death among patients with CHF. Best-practice management of CHF involves evidence-based, multidisciplinary, patient-centred care, which leads to better health outcomes. A CHF care model is required to achieve this. Although CHF management programs exist, ensuring access for everyone remains a challenge. This is particularly so for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, those from non-metropolitan areas and lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Lack of data and inadequate identification of people with CHF prevents efficient patient monitoring, limiting information to improve or optimise care. This leads to ineffectiveness in measuring outcomes and evaluating the CHF care provided. Expanding current cardiac registries to include patients with CHF and developing mechanisms to promote data linkage across care transitions are essential. As the prevalence of CHF rises, the demand for multidisciplinary workforce support will increase. Workforce planning should provide access to services outside of large cities, one of the main challenges it is currently facing. To enhance community-based management of CHF, general practitioners should be empowered to lead care. Incentive arrangements should favour provision of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and rural areas, and culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Ongoing research is vital to improving systems of care for people with CHF. Future research activity needs to ensure the translation of valuable knowledge and high-quality evidence into practice.

Efficacy of an integrated hospital-primary care program for heart failure: a population-based analysis of 56,742 patients

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The efficacy of heart failure programs has been demonstrated in clinical trials but their applicability in the real world practice setting is more controversial. This study evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of an integrated hospital-primary care program for the management of patients with heart failure in an integrated health area covering a population of 309,345.

METHODS

For the analysis, we included all patients consecutively admitted with heart failure as the principal diagnosis who had been discharged alive from all of the hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, from 2005 to 2011, the period when the program was implemented, and compared mortality and readmissions among patients exposed to the program with the rates in the patients of all the remaining integrated health areas of the Servei Català de la Salut (Catalan Health Service).

RESULTS

We included 56,742 patients in the study. There were 181,204 hospital admissions and 30,712 deaths during the study period. In the adjusted analyses, when compared to the 54,659 patients from the other health areas, the 2083 patients exposed to the program had a lower risk of death (hazard ratio=0.92 [95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.97]; P=.005), a lower risk of clinically-related readmission (hazard ratio=0.71 [95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.76]; P<.001), and a lower risk of readmission for heart failure (hazard ratio=0.86 [95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.94]; P<.001). The positive impact on the morbidity and mortality rates was more marked once the program had become well established.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of multidisciplinary heart failure management programs that integrate the hospital and the community is feasible and is associated with a significant reduction in patient morbidity and mortality.

Complexity of management and health outcomes in a prospective cohort study of 573 heart failure patients in Australia: does more equal less?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To compare the efficacy of chronic heart failure management programmes (CHF-MPs) according to a scoring algorithm used to quantify the level of applied interventions-the Heart Failure Intervention Score (HF-IS).

BACKGROUND

The overall efficacy of heart failure programmes has been proven in several meta-analyses. However, the debate continues as to which components are essential in a heart failure programme to improve patient outcomes.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study of patients participating in heart failure programmes.

METHOD

Forty-eight of 62 (77%) programmes in Australia participating in a national register of CHF-MPs were evaluated using the HF-IS: derived from a summed and weighted score of each intervention applied by the CHF-MP (27 interventions overall). The CHF-MPs were prospectively categorised as relatively low (HF-IS < 190 - n = 39 programmes & 407 patients) or high (HF-IS ≥ 190 - n = 9 programmes & 166 patients) in complexity. Six-month morbidity and mortality rates in 573 consecutively recruited patients with systolic dysfunction and in New York Heart Association Class II-IV were prospectively examined.

RESULTS

Patients exposed to CHF-MPs with a high HF-IS had a lower rate of unplanned, all-cause hospitalisation (n = 24, 14% vs. n = 102, 25%) compared with CHF-MPs with a low HF-IS within six months. On an adjusted basis, CHF-MPs with a high HF-IS were associated with a reduced risk of unplanned hospitalisation and/or death within six months and remained event-free longer.

CONCLUSION

High complexity CHF-MPs applying more evidence-based interventions are associated with a higher event-free survival over six months.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The HF-IS is an easy-to-use evidence-based tool to assist programme coordinators to improve the quality of their heart failure programme which may also improve patient outcomes.