The Spanish National Cardiovascular Health Strategy was published in 2022 and includes detailed recommendations for improving heart failure care. However, healthcare is organised and funded at the regional level in Spain, and local implementation of best practices remains challenging in many regions.
To bridge the gap between national heart failure recommendations and their local delivery, the Heart Failure Policy Network worked with Spanish experts to develop a local implementation guide for decision-makers. The guide provides an overview of the recommendations and sets out three key steps for implementation:
To accompany this guide, we will soon be publishing evidence summaries for each autonomous community in Spain. They will outline the cost and impact of heart failure hospitalisations in each region, and present international case studies demonstrating best practice in diagnosis and care.
Like many European countries, healthcare services in Spain are organised and funded at the regional level. This approach is designed to support an agile and tailored response to the health needs of local populations, but it can also result in a disconnect between national strategies and local implementation.
Heart failure affects 2% of people in Spain and has a high rate of hospital readmission, costing the health system an estimated €2.5 billion annually. The CVHS aims to address this by making clear and evidence-based recommendations for change. However, delivery of recommended heart failure diagnosis and care models is inconsistent and often not prioritised across the country.
Decision-makers in each region need to take action to secure the financial and human resources to implement the strategy’s recommendations, and to ensure the best quality of life for people with heart failure.
The Heart Failure Policy Network is an independent, multidisciplinary platform made possible with financial support from AstraZeneca, Roche Diagnostics, Bayer and Netherlands Heart Institute.
