Patient Awareness of Heart Failure Diagnosis: A Community Study

Background Heart failure (HF) is a complex disease that contributes to a high number of hospitalizations, deaths, and economic health care costs each year. However, among patients with HF, there is a lack of awareness of their HF diagnosis that has not been fully examined. Methods and Results Residents from 3 counties of southeast Minnesota with a first‐ever International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD‐9) code 428 or Tenth Revision (ICD‐10) code I50 between January 1, 2013 and March 31, 2016 (N=2461) were prospectively surveyed to measure HF self‐awareness. A total of 1114 patients returned the survey (response rate, 45%), and 787 had validated HF upon medical record review. Among these 787 patients with HF (mean age, 76 years; 53% men), 37% (n=293) were aware of their HF diagnosis. After adjustment, being a woman (odds ratio [OR], 1.56 [95% CI, 1.10–2.22]), having HF with reduced ejection fraction (OR, 1.58 [95% CI, 1.13–2.22]), attending the HF clinic (OR, 4.07 [95% CI, 2.25–7.36]), and having coronary artery disease (OR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.16–2.37]) were all associated with increased awareness of an HF diagnosis. Conversely, having diabetes was associated with decreased awareness of an HF diagnosis (adjusted OR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.50–0.95]). Conclusions Awareness of an HF diagnosis is low in a community population of patients with HF. Strategies to improve patient awareness of their diagnosis should be implemented to improve self‐care behaviors and outcomes in patients with HF.