Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and contributes to significant burden upon Victorians as the leading cause of stroke and a frequent cause of hospital admission. With appropriate prescription of blood thinning medication (anticoagulants) the incidence of stroke can be dramatically reduced.
Cardiac rehabilitation programs reduce hospital readmissions and improve quality of life after a heart attack or heart surgery, with reductions in morbidity and mortality often observed.
Cardiac rehabilitation is typically delivered face to face over six to 12 weeks after a heart attack or heart surgery where a patient interacts with health professionals in a centre-based program. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, many Victorians do not attend.
To reduce avoidable acute care admissions related to heart failure.
Heart failure is a complex chronic condition. One in four patients with heart failure is readmitted to hospital within 30 days of being discharged.
In this Commonwealth-funded pilot project, we’re partnering with Victorian health services to co-design and test a service delivery model to help people with heart failure after a hospital admission. The project will focus on increasing patient self-management and better educating carers.