Expert perspectives on strategic factors for the management and prevention of heart failure in Portugal.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Heart failure (HF) has significant morbidity and mortality, and its prevalence will continue to increase in the future. This unfavorable evolution requires reflection as well as recommendations and decisions based on the critical and strategic appraisal of experts.

METHODS: In the ATHENA-PT (Acceleration on Heart Failure Empowerment and Awareness - the Portuguese Challenge) study, a range of strategic factors that represent the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities (SWOT) of HF in Portugal were established. These factors were assessed quantitatively by experts, to create a final SWOT matrix for the management and prevention of HF in Portugal and to outline recommendations.

RESULTS: For HF management, the panel emphasized the following strategic recommendations: i) reimbursement of natriuretic peptides testing in primary healthcare; ii) reimbursement of Doppler assessment in echocardiographic studies and promotion of detailed information in reports; iii) intervention to improve the prognosis of patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction; iv) ensuring effective healthcare transition between hospital and ambulatory units, using checklists/protocols; and v) reinforcement and commitment to the training of primary health physicians and to the cardiac rehabilitation of patients. For the prevention of HF, the following recommendations/proposals were proposed: i) campaigns to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors; ii) promotion of physical exercise and healthy eating; and iii) avoidance of therapeutic inertia in the management of risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS: The acknowledgment of various strategic factors and their prioritization by experts made it possible to create and reinforce a range of new strategic recommendations for the management and prevention of HF.