The prevalence and management of heart failure in Dutch nursing homes; design of a multi-centre cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Heart failure is likely to be particularly prevalent in the nursing home population, but reliable data about the prevalence of heart failure in nursing homes are lacking. Therefore the aims of this study are to investigate (a) the prevalence and management of heart failure in nursing home residents and (b) the relation between heart failure and care dependency as well as heart failure and quality of life in nursing home residents.


METHODS
Nursing home residents in the southern part of the Netherlands, aged over 65 years and receiving long-term somatic or psychogeriatric care will be included in the study. A panel of two cardiologists and a geriatrician will diagnose heart failure based on data collected from actual clinical examinations (including history, physical examination, ECG, cardiac markers and echocardiography), patient records and questionnaires. Care dependency will be measured using the Care Dependency Scale. To measure the quality of life of the participating residents, the Qualidem will be used for psychogeriatric residents and the SF-12 and VAS for somatic residents.


CONCLUSIONS
The study will provide an insight into the actual prevalence and management of heart failure in nursing home residents as well as their quality of life and care dependency.


BACKGROUND
Dutch trial register NTR2663.
Department of Health Services Research, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. m.vandervelden@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Mariëlle Amj
MA
Daamen
Jan P H
JP
Hamers
Anton P M
AP
Gorgels
Hans-Peter
HP
Brunner-la Rocca
Frans E S
FE
Tan
Marja P
MP
van Dieijen-Visser
Jos M G A
JM
Schols
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life
D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain