Improved quality of life in Norwegian heart failure patients after follow-up in outpatient heart failure clinics: results from the Norwegian Heart Failure Registry.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality of life in heart failure (HF) outpatients attending multidisciplinary disease management programmes at HF clinics in Norwegian hospitals.


RESULTS
Data from HF patients at 24 hospital outpatient clinics were entered in a common database; The Norwegian Heart Failure Registry. Quality of life assessment was done using Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF). The quality of life assessment was optional at each hospital and was done both at initial evaluation and after 6 months of stable follow-up. A total of 3632 patients were included in the registry and 1778 patients had at least one assessment of quality of life. The mean MLHF score improved significantly from 2.1 at the initial evaluation to 1.4 six months after leaving the clinic (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in MLHF score between hospitals and baseline MLHF score was significantly associated with NYHA functional class, hospitalizations 6 months before entering the registry, and brain natriuretic peptide; and inversely related to age and systolic blood pressure. Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score was an independent predictor of mortality in this population.


CONCLUSIONS
Quality of life assessed with MLHF improved after follow-up at outpatient HF clinics. Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score was significantly related to functional status, laboratory and demographic variables, and was an important predictor of prognosis.
Hole
Torstein
T
Department of Medicine, Ålesund Hospital, Sunnmøre Hospital Trust, Ålesund, Norway. torstein.hole@helse-sunnmore.no
Grundtvig
Morten
M
Gullestad
Lars
L
Flønæs
Berit
B
Westheim
Arne
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012042:Registries; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires