Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026
04:24
A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
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Primary care Adherence to Heart failure guidelines in post-discharge, evaluation & routine management (PATHFINDER): a
Liying Dai1,2, Tashi Dorje1, Jan Gootjes3,4
1Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
ESC Heart Failure
|February 23, 2026
Summary
A new intervention significantly improved heart failure (HF) guideline adherence in primary care. Patients receiving hospital-based support showed better medication and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) use.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Primary Care Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Implementing evidence-based heart failure (HF) management guidelines in primary care presents challenges.
- Adherence to pharmacological and non-pharmacological HF guidelines is crucial for optimal patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a multifaceted intervention aimed at enhancing adherence to HF management guidelines in a primary care setting.
- To assess the impact of hospital-based support on guideline adherence for heart failure patients transitioning to primary care.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 225 patients hospitalized with HF.
- Intervention group received inpatient education, post-discharge planning with cardiac rehabilitation (CR) referral, and scheduled primary care follow-ups with medication titration support.
- Control group received usual care. Primary outcome measured at 6 months: adherence to five key HF treatments.
Main Results:
- A significantly greater proportion of the intervention group achieved the primary outcome (61.8%) compared to the control group (28.7%; p<0.01).
- The intervention group was 6.27 times more likely to achieve the primary outcome.
- Improvements were driven by higher rates of ACEI/ARB/ARNI and beta-blocker prescriptions, and increased CR referrals.
Conclusions:
- Hospital-based transitional care significantly improves adherence to guideline-recommended pharmacological and non-pharmacological heart failure management in primary care.
- Implementing such transitional care processes holds potential for improving clinical outcomes in heart failure patients.
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