Curious to find out more about the gaps in the heart failure (HF) ecosystem from a clinicians perspective? Download the APSC HF ecosystem gap report infographic to gain actionable insights for clinicians.
The cost of CVD in APAC
CVD is the number 1 cause of death in APAC.
6 in 10 global CVD deaths occur in Asia.
From 2009 to 2019, APAC countries have experienced:
10-45% increase in IHD and stroke deaths3
20-74% rise in AF deaths4
The total direct cost of CVD in AU, JP, KR, CN, MY, TH, IN, ID, VN in 2021 or nearest year was estimated at USD 177.9 billion1.
Prioritising outcomes for a better CVD ecosystem
In order to tackle the rising burden of CVD in APAC countries, the APAC CVD Alliance report suggests that every country needs a nationally cohesive CVD strategy. Strategies should incorporate the entire patient journey, types of CVD and related chronic diseases, and tailored to the needs of the national CVD ecosystem.
In line with Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 to reduce premature death and disability of NCDs by 2030, national CVD strategies should prioritise 3 outcomes:
1. Reduce premature deaths
Many preventable deaths occur due to inadequate emergency response.
Comprehensive primary and secondary prevention programs could prevent up to 80% of CVD deaths, particularly from heart attacks and strokes.
2. Reduce hospitalisations and re-hospitalisations
Reducing hospitalizations can lower the chances of occurrence and recurrence of acute life-threatening CVD incidents, which in turn reduces healthcare costs.
Strengthening primary care screening and diagnostics capacity is crucial to detect CVD risk factors early to prevent acute CVD incidents.
3. Curb rise in new CVD patients
Early prevention of CVD is needed to create a sustainable health system for the future.
Greater CVD awareness and regular screening through prevention and health promotion programs can delay the onset and slow the rise of CVD at a population level.
Sign up now for more details from the CVD Alliance Report.
Recommendations to achieve better CVD outcomes: How can clinicians play a role?
The report presents 6 key recommendations to achieve the 3 outcomes:
Recommendation 1: Develop/strengthen a cohesive national CVD strategy
- Clinicians may focus on integrating primary care, tertiary care, and rehabilitation for seamless care transition for patients.
- Clinicians may also participate in the policy formulation process by presenting scientific evidence and expert opinion, to push for inclusive and equitable policies that will benefit patients.
Recommendation 2: Strengthen emergency medical services to prevent premature deaths and disability
- Clinicians may improve and implement evidence-based emergency department (ED) diagnostics to triage patients for timely and appropriate care.
Recommendation 3: Strengthen screening and diagnostics guidelines and capacity for early detection, improved CVD risk management and secondary prevention
- Clinicians may strengthen diagnostic capacity by leveraging the use of evidence-backed novel cardiac biomarkers such as NT-proBNP and high-sensitivity troponin for earlier detection of CVDs.
- Clinicians may also include into their clinical practice: screening for hyperlipidemia as a CVD risk factor, and secondary prevention screening in high-risk patients such as those with T2DM.
Recommendation 4: Prevent rehospitalization through improving cardiac rehabilitation services
- Clinicians may help to enhance awareness and support for rehabilitation by referring patients to patient support groups and promoting rehabilitation program uptake and adherence.
- Clinicians may also take a multidisciplinary approach to post-discharge CVD care to ensure that it is seamless and that patients are well supported.
Recommendation 5: Tackle rising CVD risk factors, unhealthy diets, obesity, and physical inactivity, through comprehensive multi-sectoral policy changes and awareness programs
- Clinicians may strengthen obesity screening and management programs, especially among children.
- Clinicians may also encourage the adoption of healthier food choices and advise patients on which foods to reduce in their diet.
Recommendation 6: Strengthen critical enablers of CVD care: monitoring and evaluation systems for health system capacity and performance that inform national policy and programs
- Clinicians may consider adoption of digital solutions to make more data-driven clinical decisions.
- Clinicians may also explore digital health services to provide digital cardiology services to patients.
Sign up now to discover how other clinicians around APAC have been addressing these recommendations in their clinical practice!
Taking action: addressing the gaps in clinical practice
What are some of the immediate actions clinicians can take to improve their HF management strategy? APSC conducted a survey to unearth the gaps in HF ecosystems from clinicians.
The survey results showed that 58% of respondents reported that less than half of their patients would have natriuretic peptide levels checked during the hospital stay, despite 84% of respondents indicating the NP testing was available at their institution.
Sign up now to download the APSC HF gap report infographic for clinicians to identify and target the gaps in clinical practice!
