title: Cost of heart failure management in Turkey: results of a Delphi Panel.
abstract: To analyze health-related cost of heart failure (HF) and to evaluate health-related source utilization aiming to provide data on the economic burden of HF in actual clinical practice in Turkey.
  
  
  
  The study used the Delphi process of seeking expert consensus of opinion including 11 cardiologists who are experienced in HF. The standardized questionnaire comprised items to reflect the opinion of the expert panelists on the distribution of the HF patients in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics and background disease states. Costs related to out-patient follow-up, in-patient follow-up, medications, and other therapies were also evaluated.
  
  
  
  34.1% of the HF patients were in the age range of 60-69 years, and 62.3% were males. Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of HF (59.6%); 63.6% of the HF patients had reduced ejection fraction (rEF) and 42.3% were in New York Heart Association (NYHA)-II class. Approximately 75 % of the patients were followed up by a cardiology unit. The total annual visit number was estimated as 3.41. Approximately 32% of HF patients were hospitalized 1.64 times a year, for an average of 6.77 days each time. The total annual costs of all HF patients and HF-rEF patients were estimated as 1.537 TL and as 2.141 TL, respectively.
  
  
  
  The analysis demonstrating the magnitude of the economic impact of HF management on Turkey's healthcare system may help facilitate health and social policy interventions to improve the prevention and treatment of HF.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karabük University; Zonguldak-Turkey.
authors: Dursun
authors: D
authors: Aras
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karabük University; Zonguldak-Turkey.
authors: Sinan
authors: S
authors: Aydoğdu
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Yıldırım Beyazıt University; Ankara-Turkey.
authors: Engin
authors: E
authors: Bozkurt
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University; Eskişehir-Turkey.
authors: Yüksel
authors: Y
authors: Çavuşoğlu
authors: Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital; İstanbul-Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Eren
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University; Ankara-Turkey.
authors: Çetin
authors: Ç
authors: Erol
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University; Ankara-Turkey.
authors: Sadi
authors: S
authors: Güleç
authors: Medical Department, Novartis; İstanbul-Turkey.
authors: Pınar
authors: P
authors: Kızılırmak
authors: Department of Cardiology, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul University; İstanbul-Turkey.
authors: Zeki
authors: Z
authors: Öngen
authors: Department of Statistics, Yorum Consulting Ltd.; İstanbul-Turkey.
authors: Oktay
authors: O
authors: Özdemir
authors: Medical Department, Novartis; İstanbul-Turkey.
authors: Mete
authors: M
authors: Saylan
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University; Ankara-Turkey.
authors: Lale
authors: L
authors: Tokgözoğlu
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Yıldırım Beyazıt University; Ankara-Turkey.
authors: Ekrem
authors: E
authors: Yeter
authors: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University; Sivas-Turkey. mehmet.birhan.yilmaz@tkd.org.tr.
authors: Mehmet Birhan
authors: MB
authors: Yılmaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey