Rationale, design and baseline results of the Treatment Optimisation in Primary care of Heart failure in the Utrecht region (TOPHU) study: a cluster randomised controlled trial

In this study we assess the effect of a single training of GPs in the pharmacological management of patients with HF.Methods/designA cluster randomised controlled trial. Thirty primary care practices are randomly assigned to care as usual or intervention defined as a single training in the up-titration and management of HF drug therapy according to the heart failure guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Patients with a GP’s diagnosis of HF will be re-evaluated by an expert panel of two cardiologists and a GP with expertise in HF to come to a definite diagnosis of HF according to the ESC heart failure guidelines. Those with definite HF will be analysed in this study. Drug use will be measured after six months, health status after twelve months, and heart-related hospital admissions and all-cause mortality after two years.DiscussionOur cluster randomised trial will show whether a single training of GPs improves the pharmacological management of patients with HF and confers beneficial effects on health status after one year, and cardiac hospital admissions and all-cause mortality after two years of follow-up.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01662323

Source: BMC Family Practice - October 7, 2015 Category: Primary Care Authors: Mark ValkArno HoesArend MosterdMarcel LandmanBerna BroekhuizenFrans Rutten Source Type: research