Heart failure clinics:: organization, development, and experiences

The number of patients with heart failure is continuously increasing in western society. and the cost of hospitalizations causes a major financial burden on the health care system. Many patients do not receive a correct diagnosis, and only a minority have an optimized medication according to guidelines. Information and education are poor in heart failure patients, leading to an increased number of readmissions due to low compliance. Because of all these problems in treating patients with heart failure, it is justified to build special heart failure clinics led by nurses and doctors to verify diagnosis, optimize treatment. and improve information and education for patients and family members. This review presents the current status of heart failure units. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Inc.