Factors Affecting Referral and Patient Access to Heart Function Clinics in Ontario: A Qualitative Study of Stakeholders.

Background: Though heart failure patients benefit from multidisciplinary care in heart function clinics (HFCs), utilization is suboptimal and inequitable. This study investigated factors influencing referral and patient access to HFCs from multiple stakeholders' perspectives, namely policy-makers (PM), providers at HFCs and patients.

Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Ontario stakeholders were conducted between February-June 2020 and July-December 2022 (paused due to pandemic) via Teams.

Changes in the burden and underlying causes of heart failure in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2019: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Background: The burden of heart failure (HF) is high globally, but information on its burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) is limited. This study provides a systematic analysis of the burden and underlying causes of HF in the EMR, including at the country level, between 1990 and 2019.

Methods: We used the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data for estimates of prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and underlying causes of HF in the EMR.