Exploring the Comparative Roles of a Canadian Primary Care and Tertiary Care Heart Function Clinic

Heart function clinics (HFCs) are a cornerstone of heart failure management, yet they remain largely integrated into tertiary care environments, with few HFCs existing in the primary care community. This study examined the roles of HFCs in each setting by exploring referral patterns, the patient populations, outcomes, provision of care, and how each clinic aligned with the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure national quality indicators. The clinical characteristics of patients at both sites revealed a high level of disease comorbidity and complexity, although referral and discharge patterns differed markedly. Both sites reasonably achieved quality patient care. There are unique roles for HFCs in each setting, which supports the further creation of specialized heart failure centres within the community in alignment with the proposed spoke-hub-node integrated care model.