Heart Failure Awareness Survey in a Turkish Population: HFAS-TR.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Patient Education

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a significant cause of mortality and hospitalization, yet awareness remains suboptimal.
• Existing disparities in cardiovascular disease awareness extend to HF patients themselves.
• Understanding patient knowledge is critical for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current knowledge level of heart failure symptoms and disease nature.
• To evaluate awareness among patients diagnosed with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) in Türkiye.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, questionnaire-based survey was conducted across 34 centers.
• The study involved 2,307 outpatient HF patients between December 2021 and July 2022.
• Surveys collected data on patient demographics and HF-related knowledge.

Main Results:

• A significant proportion (30%) of patients were unaware of their HF diagnosis.
• Over 71% of patients felt they lacked adequate HF knowledge, with only 27.4% recognizing all three typical symptoms (dyspnea, tiredness, leg edema).
• HFrEF constituted 74.7% and HFmrEF 25.3% of the study population (mean age 64.58 years).

Conclusions:

• The study reveals a critical deficit in HF knowledge among patients in Türkiye.
• Findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive educational and awareness initiatives.
• Improving patient understanding is essential for optimizing HF management and outcomes.