Striving to achieve best practice in heart failure disease management
- J J Atherton1,2,
- A Hickey3,
- J Suna4
- 1Department of Cardiology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- 2University of Queensland School of Medicine, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- 3Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Unit, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Queensland, Australia
- 4Internal Medicine Research Unit, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- Correspondence to Dr John Atherton, Department of Cardiology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Butterfield Street, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia; john_atherton{at}health.qld.gov.au
- Chronic disease management
- clinical practice guidelines
- cost-effectiveness
- healthcare quality improvement
- hospital medicine
- health services research
- continuous quality improvement
Based on a national audit of chronic heart failure (CHF) management programmes (CHF-MPs) conducted in 2006, Driscoll et al identified a disproportionate distribution ranging from 0 to 4.2 programmes/million population in the various states of Australia with many programmes not following best practice.1 We welcome their proposal to develop national benchmarks for CHF management and acknowledge the contributions of the Heart Foundation and health professionals in finalising these recommendations.2 We would like to share the Queensland experience in striving towards best practice with the number of CHF-MPs increasing from four (at the time of the 2006 survey) to 23, …
