Challenges and benefits of using the HeartDiet food frequency questionnaire in cardiac rehabilitation practice.

Background And Aims: A heart-healthy diet is an important component of secondary prevention in ischemic heart disease. The Danish Health Authority recommends using the validated 19-item food frequency questionnaire HeartDiet in cardiac rehabilitation practice to assess patients' need for dietary interventions, and HeartDiet has been included in national electronic patient-reported outcome instruments for cardiac rehabilitation. This study aims to evaluate challenges and benefits of its use.

Association between socioeconomic position and discontinuation of pharmacotherapy for heart failure after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Aims: Pharmacological therapy remains a cornerstone in heart failure (HF) treatment despite the implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between (i) drug discontinuation and (ii) long-term adherence to HF pharmacotherapy after CRT implantation and socioeconomic position and multimorbidity.

Methods And Results: We conducted a registry-based cohort study including all patients who underwent a first-time CRT implantation at Aarhus University Hospital from 2000 to 2017.

Employment Status Following Heart Transplantation: Data From the Danish Nationwide Social Service Payment Register During 20 years.

Most studies on vocational rehabilitation after heart transplantation (HTX) are based on self-reported data. Danish registries include weekly longitudinal information on all public transfer payments. We intended to describe 20-year trends in employment status for the Danish heart-transplant recipients, and examine the influence of multimorbidity and socioeconomic position (SEP).

Sex Differences in Patient-Reported Outcomes in the Immediate Recovery Period After Resuscitation: Findings From the Cross-sectional DenHeart Survey.

Background: A paucity of resuscitation studies have examined sex differences in patient-reported outcomes upon hospital discharge. It remains unclear whether male and female patients differ in health outcomes in their immediate responses to trauma and treatment after resuscitation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine sex differences in patient-reported outcomes in the immediate recovery period after resuscitation.

Experiences with cross-sectional healthcare and treatment in heart failure patients: implications for medical education.

Objectives: to explore how cross-sectional healthcare and treatment is experienced a) by patients with advanced heart failure and multimorbidity and b) by hospital-employed healthcare professionals.

Methods: Individual telephone interviews with 18 patients and close relatives were conducted. Furthermore, a focus group session was conducted with four specialised hospital-employed healthcare professionals.

Return to work and everyday life following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Results from the national survey, DenHeart.

Background: With increasing survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), knowledge on return to everyday life, including return to work, should be getting increasing attention.

Objectives: To i) describe patterns of labor market affiliation up to 12 months after discharge among a workforce population and to, ii) investigate the association between clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported health at discharge and a composite endpoint of prolonged sick leave and leaving the workforce after 3 and 12 months.

Methods: Data from the national survey, DenHeart, were used, including measures of self-reported health: HeartQoL and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), combined with register-based follow-up.

The association between cardiac drug therapy and anxiety among cardiac patients: results from the national DenHeart survey.

Background: Neuropsychiatric side effects of cardiac drugs such as nervousness, mood swings and agitation may be misinterpreted as symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety in cardiac patients is highly prevalent and associated with poor outcomes, thus an accurate identification is essential. The objectives were to: (I) describe the possible neuropsychiatric side effects of common cardiac drug therapies, (II) describe the use of cardiac drug therapy in cardiac patients with self-reported symptoms of anxiety compared to those with no symptoms of anxiety, and (III) investigate the association between the use of cardiac drug therapy and self-reported symptoms of anxiety.

Gender differences in patient-reported outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: Women report worse health-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs) compared with men following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, this association is not well established when accounting for demographic and clinical patient characteristics at discharge. This knowledge is essential for clinicians when planning individualised care for patients following AMI.

Are patient-reported outcomes at discharge associated with employment status after cardiac hospitalization? Results from the national DenHeart study.

Introduction: In patients hospitalized for cardiac disease, a more comprehensive understanding of the potential predictors of returning to the workforce or detachment from employment is lacking.

Aim: The aims were (i) to explore the patterns of employment status within 1 year following hospital discharge and (ii) to investigate the association between self-reported physical health, mental health, and symptom burden at discharge and employment status at 13, 26, and 52 weeks, respectively, following discharge.

Methods And Results: Patients discharged from Danish heart centres from April 2013 to April 2014 who were a part of the workforce prior to hospitalization and aged 18-63 were included.

Patient-reported outcomes, clinical, and demographic variables as predictors of withdrawal from the workforce after hospitalization with heart failure: findings from the national DenHeart survey.

Aims: Increased prevalence and survival among patients with heart failure draws attention to their everyday life, including their ability to work. Many patients with heart failure withdraw from the workforce, which can affect their quality of life. The aim was to investigate patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and clinical and demographic variables as predictors of withdrawal from the workforce after admission with a diagnose of heart failure.

Prognostic value of a brief loneliness questionnaire for patients with coronary heart disease: Proposal for a prediction model.

Background: In patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), loneliness is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. No predictive tool is available to detect patients who are influenced by loneliness to a degree that impacts mortality.

Aim: To: (i) propose a prediction model that detects patients influenced by loneliness to a degree that increases one-year all-cause mortality, (ii) evaluate model classification performance of the prediction model, and (iii) investigate potential questionnaire response errors.

Patient-reported outcomes, sociodemographic and clinical factors are associated with 1-year mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease-findings from the DenHeart cohort study.

Purpose: In patients with ischemic heart disease, the objectives were (1) to explore associations between patient-reported outcomes, sociodemographic, and clinical factors at discharge and 1-year all-cause mortality and (2) to investigate the discriminant predictive performance of the applied patient-reported outcome instruments on 1-year all-cause mortality.

Methods: Data from the Danish national DenHeart cohort study were used. Eligible patients (n = 13,476) were invited to complete a questionnaire-package, of which 7167 (53%) responded.

Cause of Death Among Cardiac Patients With and Without Anxiety.

Background: Mental distress is reported internationally among patients with cardiac disease. A Danish survey found that 25% of patients with cardiac disease experienced symptoms indicating anxiety and that anxiety was associated with an increased risk of death.

Aim: The aims of this study were to (1) compare cause of death patterns among deceased cardiac patients with anxiety to those without anxiety and (2) examine the association between anxiety symptoms and specific causes of death.

Unreadiness for hospital discharge predicts readmission among cardiac patients: results from the national DenHeart survey.

Aims: Readiness for hospital discharge describes a patient's perception of feeling prepared to leave the hospital. In mixed patient populations, readiness for hospital discharge has shown to predict readmission and mortality in the short term. The objectives of a population of men and women with cardiac diseases, were to investigate: (i) whether readiness for hospital discharge predicts readmission and mortality within 1-year post-discharge, as well as (ii) the association between 'physical stability', 'adequate support', 'psychological ability', and 'adequate information and knowledge' and readiness for hospital discharge.

Patient-reported outcomes and medication adherence in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may predict poor clinical outcome in patients with heart failure (HF). It remains unclear whether PROMs are associated with subsequent adherence to HF medication. We aimed to determine whether health-related quality of life, anxiety, and depression were associated with long-term medication adherence in these patients.

Prognostic impact of self-reported health on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Aims: An in-depth understanding of the prognostic value of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) is essential to facilitate person-centred care in heart failure (HF). This study aimed to clarify the prognostic role of subjective mental and physical health status in patients with HF.

Methods And Results: Patients with HF were identified from the DenHeart Survey (n = 1499) and PRO data were obtained at hospital discharge, including the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D), the HeartQoL, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Psychometric properties of the Danish Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with cardiac disease: results from the DenHeart survey.

Background: Anxiety and depression symptoms are common among cardiac patients. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is frequently used to measure symptoms of anxiety and depression; however, no study on the validity and reliability of the scale in Danish cardiac patients has been done. The aim, therefore, was to evaluate the psychometric properties of HADS in a large sample of Danish patients with the four most common cardiac diagnoses: ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, heart failure and heart valve disease.

Increased risk of mortality and readmission associated with lower SF-12 scores in cardiac patients: Results from the national DenHeart study.

Background: The SF-12v2 health survey (SF-12) is widely used as a generic measure of health-related quality of life. However, interpretation of score differences can be difficult.

Aim: To estimate benchmarks for interpretation of score differences on the SF-12 for readmission and all-cause mortality in cardiac patients.

Significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality among cardiac patients feeling lonely.

Objective: To explore whether living alone and loneliness 1) are associated with poor patient-reported outcomes at hospital discharge and 2) predict cardiac events and mortality 1 year after hospital discharge in women and men with ischaemic heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure or heart valve disease.

Methods: A national cross-sectional survey including patients with known cardiac disease at hospital discharge combined with national register data at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Loneliness was evaluated using one self-reported question, and information on cohabitation was available from national registers.

Nurse-led Motivational Telephone Follow-up After Same-day Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Reduces Readmission and Contacts to General Practice.

Background: Same-day discharge of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may challenge preparation of patients for discharge.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether nurse-led telephone follow-up influenced patients' self-management post-PCI.

Methods: We performed a randomized study with an allocation rate of 1:1.