Navigating the long journey of heart failure-experiences of Māori and Pacific peoples

Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand experience significant inequities in heart failure rates, treatment and outcomes compared to NZ Europeans. We aimed to understand the experiences of Māori and Pacific people living with heart failure as they navigated care across primary and secondary settings.

This research involved a secondary analysis of data collected in a wider qualitative study investigating evidence-practice gaps of cardiovascular care experienced by Māori and Pacific people. From the wider pool of semi-structured interviews, we identified 24 people (seven Māori and 17 Pacific peoples, 23 from the North Island) living with heart failure, and applied template and framework analysis to explore their distinct experiences.

Two major themes identified related to participants: 1) Condition-need for more support to understand and self-manage their heart failure condition, and 2) Journey-desire to feel well-connected to the health system in their heart failure journey.

Addressing heart failure inequities for Māori and Pacific peoples requires that providers engage in clear and meaningful communication to support patient self-management. Strengthening pathways for Māori and Pacific patients and whānau (families) between primary and secondary services is required to reduce their likelihood of becoming disconnected from care.