Homecare for patients with heart failure in Italy

BACKGROUND; Heart failure (HF) represents an important health issue in western countries, especially for the elderly, frail population. A number of HF patients must usually be assisted at home. No information is available about the usual care of HF patients in Italy. The aim of this study was to des...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inItalian heart journal Vol. 6; no. 7; p. 573
Main Authors Filippi, Alessandro, Sessa, Emiliano, Pecchioli, Serena, Trifirò, Gianluca, Samani, Fabio, Mazzaglia, Giampiero
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Italy 01.07.2005
Subjects
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Female
Heart Failure - therapy
Home Care Services - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Italy
Male
Middle Aged
Surveys and Questionnaires
Italy
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Summary:BACKGROUND; Heart failure (HF) represents an important health issue in western countries, especially for the elderly, frail population. A number of HF patients must usually be assisted at home. No information is available about the usual care of HF patients in Italy. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of HF patients receiving homecare in the Italian general practice. A questionnaire was sent to 320 general practitioners (GPs) involved in the Health Search project. Among these, 148 (46.2%) answered and 376 home-ridden HF patients (60.3% women, median age 85 years) were identified. 257 (57%) patients were in NYHA class III or IV. Multiple relevant concomitant diseases occurred in 326 (86.7%) subjects. Only 140 (37.2%) patients were able to take their pills without any help; caregivers, mainly family members, were required 24 hours a day in 78.7% of cases. The length of homecare was > 1 year in 84.5% of cases. According to our data, thousands of HF patients are usually assisted at home for long periods in Italy. This is a very old group of subjects with heavy co-morbidity and a high need for continuous, prolonged assistance. Studies specifically aimed at the care of HF patients are needed.
ISSN:1129-471X