Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Clinical Application of Phase Angle and BIVA Z-Score Analyses in Patients Admitted to an Emergency Department with Acute Heart Failure
Published on: June 30, 2023
Ethnic differences in patient perceptions of heart failure and treatment: the West Birmingham heart failure project
G Y H Lip1, H Khan, A Bhatnagar
1University Department of Medicine, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham B18 7QH, UK. g.y.h.lip@bham.ac.uk
Insights
Ethnic minority patients often lack knowledge about congestive heart failure (CHF) and its treatments. Targeted patient education is crucial to improve health outcomes for these high-risk groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) affects diverse populations, with varying health beliefs and knowledge levels across ethnic groups.
- Understanding these differences is vital for effective patient management and reducing health disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ethnic variations in knowledge and perceptions of congestive heart failure (CHF) and its treatments.
- To identify specific areas where patient education needs improvement within multiethnic populations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 103 patients diagnosed with CHF at two UK teaching hospitals.
- Participants included White (n=42), Indo-Asian (n=34), Afro-Caribbean (n=22), and Oriental (n=5) ethnic groups.
- Standardized questionnaires assessed health beliefs, diagnosis awareness, perceived severity, medication adherence, and information sufficiency.
Main Results:
- Significant ethnic disparities were observed in health beliefs, with Indo-Asians more likely to attribute health control to fate.
- A majority of Indo-Asian patients (61.8%) were unaware of their CHF diagnosis, and 50% perceived it as not severe.
- Ethnic minorities, particularly Indo-Asians and Afro-Caribbeans, reported lower levels of understanding regarding their medications and adherence challenges.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in CHF among ethnic minority patients.
- There is a critical need for enhanced patient education strategies tailored to specific high-risk ethnic subgroups.
- Improving health literacy and information delivery is essential for better CHF management in diverse populations.
Objective:
To investigate further the hypothesis that ethnic groups would have different levels of knowledge and perceptions of congestive heart failure (CHF) and treatments for this condition, a cross sectional survey was conducted of patients who were attending the heart failure clinics in two teaching hospitals of Birmingham, UK, that serve a multiethnic population.
Methods:
103 patients with CHF (66 men, 37 women) were surveyed by standard questionnaire: 42 were white, 34 Indo-Asian, 22 Afro-Caribbean, and 5 Oriental.
Results:
When asked about their beliefs about control of one's health, 22 (64.7%) of Indo-Asians felt that God/fate controlled their health. The majority of white patients tended to believe that the greatest factor influencing their health was the doctor (15 (35.7%)). Of the total study cohort, only 68 (66%) of patients were aware of their primary diagnosis of heart failure; the majority of Indo-Asians (21 (61.8%)) were not aware of their diagnosis. Half of Indo-Asians (17 (50%)) felt that heart failure was not severe, in contrast to 40.9% (n = 9) of Afro-Caribbeans and only 19.1% (n = 8) of white patients. Of the study cohort, 38 (36.9%) were taking their drugs because their doctor told them to, a response most common among the Indo-Asians. The majority of Indo-Asians (22 (64.7%)) and Afro-Caribbeans (14 (63.6%)) stated that they did not have, or did not know whether they had enough, information about their drug. The corresponding figure for white patients was 21.4% (n = 9). When asked whether they took their medication regularly as prescribed, 7 (31.8%) of Afro-Caribbeans reported that they did not take their drugs regularly.
Conclusions:
Our study has highlighted deficiencies in the knowledge of CHF among patients from ethnic minority groups, as well as deficiencies in the information being given to these patients. There is a clear need to invest more in patient education for CHF, with special emphasis on certain high risk subgroups.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Heart Failure III: Clinical Manifestations
01:30Heart Failure IV: Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation
01:22Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
01:30Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions