Multidisciplinary Interventions for Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF), the most common cause of hospital admission for Medicare beneficiaries, imposes a tremendous burden on patients and the health care system. Along . . .

Heart failure (HF), the most common cause of hospital admission for Medicare beneficiaries, imposes a tremendous burden on patients and the health care system. Along with advances in treatment with drugs and devices, efforts are underway to improve HF care and outcomes through multidisciplinary interventions that can involve education, enhanced monitoring, and coordinated care.

These researchers reviewed randomized controlled trials of nonpharmaceutical, non-exercise-based interventions for HF in which management was provided by a multidisciplinary team. Thirty trials (26 in Europe or the U.S.) involving 7532 patients met inclusion criteria; 27 provided data on all-cause mortality and 16 on HF readmission. The trials were heterogeneous: 12 i…

Reviewing Author

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM