Approximately 50% of adults living with Heart Failure are classified as frail, resulting in poorer health outcomes, higher hospitalisations, and increased mortality rates.
Despite clear guidelines recommending frailty assessment for this patient population, the implementation of these assessments in clinical practice has been slow and inconsistent.
However, frailty can be reduced and, in some cases, reversed by addressing four critical areas: exercise, nutrition, social support and optimised medication use.
A new publication by the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce in Heart Lung and Circulation is advocating for improved frailty assessment and multidisciplinary care models.
"Heart failure patients with frailty face numerous challenges, including a lack of tailored models of care and pharmacological guidance," says Dr Julee McDonagh, ACvA Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce Co-lead. "Frailty significantly impacts a patient's ability to respond to treatment and care plans, so its management needs a holistic, multi-faceted approach."
This work emerges from the ACvA Clinical Theme Initiative which fosters multidisciplinary collaboration across the sector to develop ambitious national solutions to cardiovascular disease and stroke's greatest challenges.
The ACvA Heart Failure Clinical Theme hosted a national workshop that brought together healthcare professionals, policy makers, and researchers from across the country. This collaboration led to the creation of the Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce, which aims to drive forward policy, practice, education, and research focused on improving outcomes for patients with both heart failure and frailty.
Key priorities identified by the ACvA Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce include:
- Establishing a standardised approach to frailty assessment in Heart Failure patients.
- Increasing the focus on frailty within cardiac multidisciplinary team management.
- Enhancing geriatric and primary care expertise in heart failure management to improve care integration and outcomes.
"Incorporating multidisciplinary teams and comprehensive geriatric assessments can provide much-needed support to these patients," says Professor Caleb Ferguson, ACvA Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce Co-lead.
"We're excited to take a major step forward in addressing the complex needs of heart failure patients living with frailty," says Dr McDonagh. "This initiative will not only raise awareness but will drive the development of standardised practices, education, and research that are crucial to better care for these patients."
You can read An Expert Opinion on the Management of Frailty in Heart Failure from the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance National Taskforce HERE.
Key Facts:
Key priorities identified by the ACvA Frailty & Heart Failure National Taskforce include:
- Establishing a standardised approach to frailty assessment in Heart Failure patients.
- Increasing the focus on frailty within cardiac multidisciplinary team management.
- Enhancing geriatric and primary care expertise in heart failure management to improve care integration and outcomes.
About us:
The ACvA is a member-based organisation, establishing a national collaboration of cardiovascular research bodies, scientific societies, individual researchers, clinicians, industry and non-government organisations. The ACvA's vision is for Australia to be a globally recognised leader in delivering cardiovascular health outcomes through high impact, multidisciplinary and collaborative research, with deep linkages to national and international health systems, strong collaborations with industry and an enhanced translational potential through both policy and commercialisation initiatives.
The ACvA is a member-based organisation, establishing a national collaboration of cardiovascular research bodies, scientific societies, individual researchers, clinicians, industry and non-government organisations. The ACvA's vision is for Australia to be a globally recognised leader in delivering cardiovascular health outcomes through high impact, multidisciplinary and collaborative research, with deep linkages to national and international health systems, strong collaborations with industry and an enhanced translational potential through both policy and commercialisation initiatives.
