Treatment expectations in congestive heart failure implications for patients enrolled in disease management programmes

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem which is increasing in prevalence due to the aging of the population. Despite recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of HF, morbidity and mortality rates both remain high, owing in part to the presence of multiple medical, psychosocial, behavioural and economic factors which confound HF management. Multidisciplinary HF disease management programmes are ideally structured to deal with the myriad issues which confront the physician in managing complex HF patients, and several studies have now documented that such programmes are effective in reducing hospital admissions, improving quality of life, and decreasing the overall cost of medical care. In addition, disease management programmes offer a multitude of advantages to the HF patient, including reductions in both morbidity and mortality, and these benefits translate into improved patient satisfaction.