Factors related to time to admission to specialized multidisciplinary clinics in patients with congestive heart

Debbie Ehrmann Feldman1, Anique Ducharme, Marc Frenette

  • 1University of Montreal, School of Rehabilitation, Montreal, Canada. debbie.feldman@umontreal.ca

Insights

Specialized congestive heart failure (CHF) clinics improve outcomes, but timely patient admission is key. Factors like specialist referral and higher income correlate with earlier admission to CHF clinics.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a significant cause of hospitalizations with a poor prognosis.
  • Specialized multidisciplinary clinics demonstrate effectiveness in managing CHF patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the timing of patient admissions to specialized CHF clinics.
  • To identify factors influencing the timeliness of these admissions.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 531 patients newly admitted to six CHF multidisciplinary clinics in Quebec.
  • Data collection utilized clinic databases and patient questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • The median disease duration before clinic admission was 1.2 years.
  • Specialist referral, higher income, emergency room visits for CHF, and lack of regular follow-up were linked to shorter disease duration at admission.

Conclusions:

  • Improved dissemination of information about CHF clinic availability, benefits, and referral criteria may be necessary.
  • Strategies to encourage earlier referral and admission to specialized CHF care are warranted.
Abstract

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