In the last years multidisciplinary care (MDC) of patients with chronic heart failure has proved to be effective. Because of specificity of the medical care organization in different countries the outcome of the programs may be various. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of MDC on patients' survival, hospitalization rate and stay.
Material and methods: 129 chronic heart failure patients admitted to Department of Cardiology were randomized to MDC or routine care (RC) groups. All patients were referred to their primary care physicians. In 64 patients from MDC group, aged 68 +/- 10.5 years, a follow-up was performed on 14 day, 3 and 6 months, on the basis of heart failure clinic, by cardiologist, heart failure nurse, psychologist and physiotherapist. Patients received heart failure nurse and cardiologist broad educational program systematically. Every day heart failure nurse telephone counseling and home-based interventions were also available to the patients. 65 patients from RC group, aged 72 +/- 11.5 years, were referred only to their primary care physicians.
Results: There was the lower duration of hospitalization in MDC than in RC group (8.3 +/- 5.31 vs 13.5 +/- 6.99 days; p < 0.05). A tendency to the lower duration of heart failure hospitalization and frequency of total and heart failure hospitalization in MDC group was observed (9.8 +/- 5.46 vs 12.1 +/- 6.23 days, 18.8 vs 25.0, and 12.5 vs 16.9% respectively). No significant differences were found between MDC and RC total and heart failure mortality (15.6 vs 16.9%, and 10.9 vs 12.3%, respectively).
Conclusion: Six months multidisciplinary care of chronic heart failure patients has appeared more efficient than routine primary care.