Almost one in three patients with heart failure feel isolated, and half have no access to a support group in their area, according to a report.
The likelihood of a patient having to be readmitted to hospital dropped by half when there was access to a local heart failure unit, the report by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) says.
The IHF says community-based care is key to reducing the national burden of heart failure and improving the quality of life for patients.
The report, ‘Impact of living in the community with heart failure’, says recognition of heart failure symptoms and when to seek help is a problem for both patients and their caregivers, and 13 per cent of caregivers reported an anxiety disorder.
One in five people will develop heart failure over their lifetime. Currently, 2 per cent, or 90,000 people, are living with the disease and 20,000 people are admitted to hospital with the condition each year. Prevalence rates are forecast to rise 63 per cent in a decade.
Dr Angie Brown, IHF medical director, said the report highlighted the urgent need for greater awareness of available patient resources. “The latest research has shown a strong feeling from many heart failure patients in Ireland that they are on their own following discharge from hospital. This is exacerbated by the lack of public understanding around the condition or any policy discourse on heart failure.”
The report clearly identifies the need to increase heart failure education and support for primary care teams to help patients remain healthy and at home and reduce the rate of unnecessary rehospitalisation, she added.
