Treating the right patient at the right time: access to heart failure care

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Heart failure impacts over 500,000 Canadians, with 50,000 new diagnoses annually.
• The five-year age-adjusted mortality rate for heart failure is a significant 45%.
• Disease management programs show promise in improving heart failure patient outcomes, quality of care, and reducing costs and hospitalizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize available data on adverse events related to waiting times for heart failure care.
• To identify existing data gaps in heart failure management.
• To provide recommendations for timely access to acute and chronic heart failure care, including disease management programs and specialist physician access.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing data on heart failure.
• Analysis of adverse event risks associated with waiting times.
• Expert consensus on best practices for timely access to care.

Main Results:

• Significant mortality associated with heart failure in Canada.
• Evidence supports the benefits of disease management programs for heart failure.
• Lack of national benchmarks for cardiovascular care access, including heart failure services.

Conclusions:

• Urgent need for national benchmarks and targets for timely access to heart failure care.
• Addressing data gaps is essential for optimizing heart failure management.
• Timely access to heart failure disease management programs and physician care is critical for improving patient survival and quality of life.