Management of Patients with Heart Failure in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a global pandemic, affecting at least 26 million people worldwide and increasing prevalence, and is a serious public health problem as health care costs increase significantly with the aging population, the introduction of new technologies and treatments reduces the level of mortality from HF, but hospitalization is increasing, which makes it economically expensive. The GPs also express the need for a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with HF, since the main problems are associated with uncertainty regarding clinical practice, how to provide evidence and how to work together in a team. The aim of our study is to study the management of patients with HF by general doctors. Methods: At the first stage, we conducted a literary search, than with a multidisciplinary team of general practitioners, public health specialists and decision makers developed a questionnaire to identify knowledge and management of patients with HF. The survey was conducted anonymously in 2018 among GPs of city. The local ethical commission considered questionnaire. Results: GP indicated that main etiology of HF is Ischemic 67,6%. Only 47.1% of doctors are analyzing hospitalized cases, Last three years completed training more than 89,6% physicians, and just 42,1 % developed any specific programs for patients with HF. 63.3% said that they explain the treatment, and 88.8% rehabilitation programs, how to change their way of life 78.8%, and how this will affect the daily life of 57.9%. Conclusions: There is a need to study the adherence of primary care physicians to clinical protocols and to identify the need to provide additional guidelines for the management of patients with HF, since the disease has comorbidities and sometimes clinicians find it difficult to ensure the correct treatment tactics. Therefore, the wrong tactics lead to unreasonable costs and inefficient distribution of health resources and has economic consequences.