title: Referral and use of heart failure clinics: what factors are related to use?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart failure (HF) clinics have been shown to reduce hospital readmissions and generally have favourable effects on quality of life, survival, and care costs. This study investigated the rates of referral and use of HF clinics and examined factors related to program use.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study represents a secondary analysis of a larger prospective cohort study conducted in Ontario. In hospital, 474 HF inpatients from 11 hospitals across Ontario completed a survey that examined predisposing, enabling, and need factors affecting HF clinic use. Then 1 year later, 271 HF patients completed a mailed survey that assessed referral to and use of HF clinics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one patients (15.2%) self-reported referral, and 35 (13%) self-reported attending an HF clinic. Generalized estimating equations showed that factors related to greater program use were having an HF clinic at the site of hospital recruitment (odds ratio [OR] = 8.40; P = 0.04), referral to other disease management programs (OR = 4.87; P = 0.04), higher education (OR = 4.61; P = 0.02), lower stress (OR = 0.93; P = 0.03), and lower functional status (OR = 0.97; P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Similar to previous research, only one-seventh of HF patients were referred to and used an HF clinic. Both patient-level and health-system factors were related to HF clinic use. Given the benefits of HF clinics, more research examining how equitable access can be increased is needed. Also, the appropriateness and cost repercussions of use of multiple disease management programs should be investigated.
authors.affiliation: York University, Faculty of Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gravely
authors.forename: Liane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ginsburg
authors.forename: Donna E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: Sherry L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Grace
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009864:Ontario; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data