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Over the past decade, gamification, an umbrella term that refers to tools that engage and motivate participants through the use of game design elements (e.g., challenges and rewards) in a non-gaming context, has emerged as a promising approach in the management of chronic diseases. Specifically, it has been demonstrated to be effective in the education of both patients as well as healthcare professionals on medication adherence, risk reduction, patient self-care, and rehabilitation. There is some evidence suggesting that gamification might have similar benefits for heart failure (HF) patients and their health care professionals. This is of specific interest since HF is a chronic disease associated with a severely compromised long-term prognosis and subsequent high health care resource utilization. However, more robust research is needed to confirm these findings and determine the optimal method, as well as barriers, to the implementation of gamification in the working process of health care professionals or treatment adherence to patients specifically in the setting of HF. This viewpoint explores the literature concerning HF and gamification and aims to identify its various potentials in the management of HF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic and progressive syndrome associated with a poor prognosis. While it may seem intuitive that the risk of adverse outcomes varies across the different stages of HF, an overview of these risks is lacking. This study aims to determine the risk of all‐cause mortality and HF hospitalizations associated with new‐onset HF, chronic HF (CHF), worsening HF (WHF), and advanced HF. Methods and results: We performed a systematic review of observational studies from 2012 to 2022 using five different databases. The primary outcomes were 30‐day and 1‐year all‐cause mortality, as well as 1‐year HF hospitalization. Studies were pooled using random effects meta‐analysis, and mixed‐effects meta‐regression was used to compare the different HF groups. Among the 15 759 studies screened, 66 were included representing 862 046 HF patients. Pooled 30‐day mortality rates did not reveal a significant distinction between hospital‐admitted patients, with rates of 10.13% for new‐onset HF and 8.11% for WHF (p = 0.10). However, the 1‐year mortality risk differed and increased stepwise from CHF to advanced HF, with a rate of 8.47% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.24–9.89) for CHF, 21.15% (95% CI 17.78–24.95) for new‐onset HF, 26.84% (95% CI 23.74–30.19) for WHF, and 29.74% (95% CI 24.15–36.10) for advanced HF. Readmission rates for HF at 1 year followed a similar trend. Conclusions: Our meta‐analysis of observational studies confirms the different risk for adverse outcomes across the distinct HF stages. Moreover, it emphasizes the negative prognostic value of WHF as the first progressive stage from CHF towards advanced HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive disease in which periods of clinical stability are interrupted by episodes of clinical deterioration known as worsening heart failure (WHF). Patients who develop WHF are at high risk of subsequent death, rehospitalization, and excessive healthcare costs. As such, WHF could be seen as a separate disease stage and precursor of advanced HF. Whether WHF has a substantial health, societal, and economic impact evidence regarding its multifactorial nature and the specific barriers in treatment, including advanced HF therapies, remains scarce. The CHAIN‐HF registry aims to describe the incidence, characteristics, current treatment, and outcomes of WHF. Additionally, it will promote structured regional collaboration and educate on increasing awareness for WHF and describe the implementation of guideline directed medical therapy and utilization of advanced HF therapies in a collaborative network. Methods and results: The CHAIN‐HF registry is a prospective, observational, and multicentre study from the collaborating hospitals (Rijnmond HF Network) in the Rotterdam area. Unselected and consecutive patients (irrespective of ejection fraction) with a WHF event will be included. Comprehensive data including demographics, co‐morbidities, treatment, and in‐hospital and post‐discharge outcomes will be collected. Notably, data on socio‐economic status, treatment decisions, and referral for advanced HF therapies will be included. Conclusions: CHAIN‐HF will be the first prospective, dedicated WHF registry in a collaborative network of hospitals that will provide robust real‐world evidence on the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of WHF. Moreover, it will provide information on of the value of regional collaboration to improve awareness and outcomes of WHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]