Excellence in Heart Failure: A Multidisciplinary Program on Heart Failure Management for Improved Patient Outcome

Abstract

Chronic heart failure (HF) is the 21st-century cardiovascular epidemic, marked by recurrent hospitalizations and high mortality rates, and represents a considerable burden on Western societies. The complex care demands of HF patients require multidisciplinary approaches, aligning with contemporary guidelines. Accordingly, the Excellence in Heart Failure Program, implemented in Portuguese tertiary hospitals, aims to establish multidisciplinary HF outpatient clinics in Portugal, improving patients’ clinical outcomes. Herein, the results of its pilot project are presented, showing that the implementation of the multidisciplinary clinic resulted in a minimal number of hospitalizations and emergency visits, with only one rehospitalization reported. In addition, patients in the Program experienced significant improvements in ejection fraction (EF) and NT-proBNP levels. Despite the limited power of the sample, these findings underscore the effectiveness of the Program in the management of Portuguese HF patients, particularly in the early discharge period after heart failure, when patients are most vulnerable.

Keywords

• heart failure
• disease management
• multidisciplinary care
• health services
• patient discharge planning
• patient-focused outcomes