Key result
Factors associated with shorter disease duration before admission to CHF clinics (median 1.2 years) included specialist referral, lack of regular follow-up, higher income, and prior ER visits for CHF.
Observational (n=531)
Yes
Factors such as specialist referral, lack of regular follow-up, higher income, and prior ER visits are associated with earlier admission to specialized multidisciplinary heart failure clinics.
May guide timelier HF clinic referrals; leaves open effects on outcomes.
Background Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common cause of hospitalization and has a poor prognosis. Specialized multidisciplinary clinics are effective in the management of CHF. Objectives To measure time of admission to the specialized clinics and explore factors related to the time of admission to these clinics. Methods Patients who were newly admitted to one of six CHF multidisciplinary clinics in the province of Quebec were enrolled in the study. Data were collected from the common clinical database used at these clinics as well as from questionnaires administered to the patients. Results A total of 531 patients with a mean age of 65.9 years were enrolled. Only 26% were women. The median duration of disease before admission to the CHF clinic was 1.2 years. The majority of patients (62%) were referred by a cardiologist or an internist, while 24% were referred by other specialists, and 14% by general practitioners. One-fifth of patients did not have regular follow-up for their CHF before being admitted to the clinic. Factors associated with shorter disease duration at admission to the clinic were referral by a specialist, not having regular medical follow-up for CHF, having a higher income and having visited the emergency room for CHF. Conclusion There may be a need to improve dissemination of information regarding availability and benefits of CHF clinics and criteria for referral. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common cause of hospitalization and has a poor prognosis. Specialized multidisciplinary clinics are effective in the management of CHF. To measure time of admission to the specialized clinics and explore factors related to the time of admission to these clinics. Patients who were newly admitted to one of six CHF multidisciplinary clinics in the province of Quebec were enrolled in the study. Data were collected from the common clinical database used at these clinics as well as from questionnaires administered to the patients. A total of 531 patients with a mean age of 65.9 years were enrolled. Only 26% were women. The median duration of disease before admission to the CHF clinic was 1.2 years. The majority of patients (62%) were referred by a cardiologist or an internist, while 24% were referred by other specialists, and 14% by general practitioners. One-fifth of patients did not have regular follow-up for their CHF before being admitted to the clinic. Factors associated with shorter disease duration at admission to the clinic were referral by a specialist, not having regular medical follow-up for CHF, having a higher income and having visited the emergency room for CHF. There may be a need to improve dissemination of information regarding availability and benefits of CHF clinics and criteria for referral.
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Feldman et al. (2009) conducted an observational in Congestive heart failure (n=531). Specialized multidisciplinary clinics was evaluated on Time of admission to the specialized clinics (duration of disease before admission). Factors associated with shorter disease duration before admission to CHF clinics (median 1.2 years) included specialist referral, lack of regular follow-up, higher income, and prior ER visits for CHF.