Care of heart failure patients falling short in the UK

New research highlights inadequate and uncoordinated approach

2014-04-02

(Press-News.org) Care of patients with heart failure in the UK is inadequate and has not changed in a decade, according to new research published in BMJ Open.

The findings by a team at Durham University and Darlington Memorial Hospital - and funded by national charity Heart Research UK - highlight inadequacies in heart failure care as well as an uncoordinated approach to diagnosis and management of the condition between primary and secondary care clinicians.

The research showed that clinicians are uncertain about how to diagnose different types of heart failure and about who has overall responsibility for heart failure management.

There was also inconsistency in patients' access to tests and services and a lack of awareness by health professionals of dedicated heart failure clinics. Health professionals expressed concerns about how to care for heart failure patients affected by other diseases and taking other medicines.

Over 750,000 people are living with heart failure in the UK.

Lead investigator, Professor Ahmet Fuat, Honorary Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University, said: "Overall, staff told us that they were unsure of who had overall responsibility for heart failure from the point of diagnosis through to the end-of-life.

"Even though the government has spent a lot of money on improving heart services, some of the problems we were told about are the same as those found ten years ago. This is worrying because it means we are still not getting things right for patients with heart failure."

The researchers recommend the development of clear lines of responsibility, better education of GPs and non-heart specialist hospital doctors, and that the same high quality services and care pathways are available to all patients.

The project, led by a team from Durham University's School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, looked at how clinicians diagnose and care for patients with heart failure, an increasing problem that affects about a million people in the UK but often goes undetected and under-treated.

The study involved interviewing GPs, cardiologists, physicians and heart failure nurses in small focus groups, and used the information to carry out a survey of 500 clinicians to compare heart failure care across the UK.

The diagnosis and treatment of heart failure is complicated and can lead to large differences in care. If diagnosed and treated properly, the symptoms of heart failure can be well controlled and the length and quality of life improved. New treatments are carefully assessed in clinical trials but there is very little research afterwards looking at the way care is delivered.

Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK said: "As more people survive heart attacks and with the aging population, the incidence of heart failure is going to soar and, from this study, it appears that heart failure management and care have not kept pace. The challenge is out there – there needs to be uniform care across the country and everyone involved has to change to give the best to their patients."

The study findings will be used to develop further research to improve diagnosis and care for heart failure patients in the areas of GP education, end-of-life care, and care pathways for diagnosis and management.

INFORMATION: MEDIA INFORMATION

Interviews Professor Ahmet Fuat, Honorary Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University is available on: Tuesday 1 April between 12noon-2pm
Wednesday 2 April all day

Lead author Dr Helen Hancock, Health Research Methodologist, School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University is available on: Monday 31 March between 12noon-1pm and between 3.30pm-4.30pm
Tuesday 1 April between 9.30am-10am and between 3.30pm-5pm

To arrange interviews, please contact Dionne Hamil, Media Relations Officer, Durham University on +44 (0)191 334 6078, media.relations@durham.ac.uk.

Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK is also available for interviews. Please contact Chris Child, Communications Manager, Heart Research UK on +44 (0)113 297 6207/6205.

Source information 'Barriers to accurate diagnosis and effective management of heart failure have not changed in the past 10 years: a qualitative study and national survey', Fuat et al, published in BMJ Open (2 April 2014), bmjopen-2013-003866.R1

For a copy of the paper, please contact Durham University Media Relations on +44 (0)191 334 6075, media.relations@durham.ac.uk

Heart Research UK Heart Research UK is a visionary charity that funds ground-breaking medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

Having funded six of the first eight successful UK heart transplants, Heart Research UK has been helping hearts by supporting clinical and surgical projects and young researchers on their first steps into research. In the last 10 years the charity has funded over £10.6m on research projects in hospitals and universities across the UK as well as £1.2m on community-based lifestyle projects that aim to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease. What's raised locally is spent near you.

You can also follow Heart Research UK on Twitter: @heartresearchuk or become a fan of our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Research-UK/10733061906

About Durham University Durham University is a world top-100 university with a global reputation and performance in research and education.

The most recent UK league tables place Durham in the top echelon of British universities academically.

Durham is ranked fifth in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2014 and sixth in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014; it is 26th in the world for the impact of its research (THE citations ratings) and in the world top 25 for the employability of its students by blue-chip companies world-wide (QS World University Rankings 2013/14).

We are a residential Collegiate University: England's third oldest university and at our heart is a medieval UNESCO World Heritage Site, of which we are joint custodians with Durham Cathedral. Durham is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities. http://www.durham.ac.uk

You can follow Durham University on Twitter: @durham_uni

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Care of heart failure patients falling short in the UK

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