title: Heart failure management - a team based approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic heart failure (CHF) is an important condition that requires complex treatment and management.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article outlines the key benefits of a team based approach to CHF management and the role of the different health professionals involved, including a central role for the patient's general practitioner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific management programs are designed to improve CHF related outcomes such as reducing hospitalisation rates and prolonging survival. There are many components to these programs and a team based approach is arguably the most important. Programs that apply multidisciplinary care (either via dedicated CHF clinics or community based teams) are consistently superior to those supplied by an individual.
authors.affiliation: Preventative Health, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria. simon.stewart@bakeridi.edu.au
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019468:Disease Management; D058006:General Practice; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011320:Primary Health Care; D024382:Professional Role