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Heart failure clinics provide crucial link between primary and secondary care

  1. Russell C Davis, consultant cardiologist (R.C.Davis@bham.ac.uk),
  2. Gurbir Bhatia, research fellow,
  3. Michael Sosin, research fellow,
  4. Jane Stubley, senior heart failure specialist nurse
  1. Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, West Bromwich B71 4HJ
  2. Gateshead Primary Care Trust, Gateshead NE11 0SR
  3. University of York, York YO10 5DD

    EDITOR—Fuat et al surveyed attitudes towards managing heart failure in general practice.1 Points of particular note included difficulties in assessing subtle early signs of heart failure, difficulties in interpreting echocardiography reports, and concerns about the number of drugs recommended for patients with heart failure.

    This study further strengthens the case for specialist heart failure clinics as outlined in the national service framework for coronary heart disease.2 Such clinics have a multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians (specialist and primary care), specialist nurses, and cardiac technicians, and these teams facilitate a coordinated approach to diagnosing, assessing, and managing heart failure. …

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