28 May 2020
Institute news
Heart failure home intervention provides help for vulnerable Australians
The Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute is working with collaborators to trial a new heart failure intervention aimed at keeping some of the most vulnerable Australians out of hospital.
RiskHELP is focused on a risk-guided home management strategy for heart failure — one of the most costly diagnoses in the Australian health system — and is currently being tested in Victoria and Tasmania. Its aim is to keep people from being readmitted to hospital and helps them to manage their health at home.
One of the key partners on the RiskHELP clinical trial — the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research — is currently using a ‘Biobus’ to roll out the program safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biobus is a mobile clinic and laboratory fitted out to provide remote access to clinical research.
Research nurse and study coordinator, Kristyn Whitmore has been taking the Biobus to Bridgewater, Oatlands, Rokeby and Central Hobart to visit study participants who have been assessed as having a high risk of readmission to hospital within 30 days.
“This has been an excellent way to ensure early access to diagnosis and treatment. The patients feel safe in the bus, and I am able to quickly use the hand held ultrasound equipment and then work with cardiologists to diagnose and treat the conditions,” Ms Whitmore said.
Patients are usually over 70 and have been experiencing high levels of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of the Baker Institute, Professor Tom Marwick is the principal investigator on the study, funded by a Medical Research Future Fund ‘Keeping Australians Out of Hospital’ grant. The national research project aims to tackle the huge annual costs for heart failure re-admissions, which exceed $1 billion.
“About 30,000 Australians suffer heart failure each year and 20 to 25 per cent of these patients are admitted back to hospital within 30 days of being discharged. This is expensive, uses beds and resources, and patients do not want to be there,” Professor Marwick said.
Research shows that about half of people who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis.
“While the pandemic has meant we’ve needed to get creative in how we deliver our new intervention in the community, it’s also highlighted the project’s importance,” Professor Marwick said.
“People with heart disease — including those at risk of heart failure — are more likely to experience complications from COVID-19. We need to keep these patients away from the risk of infection as much as possible, and part of that is about reducing their chance of having to go to hospital.
“It’s important we don’t forget about cardiovascular disease in the midst of the pandemic, it’s still the number one killer in Australia and it’s not going away.”
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