Abstract
This is a retrospective, pilot study of patients suffering from severe heart failure. The participants (n=43) were living in their own homes and treated by a multidisciplinary, home-based team for palliative care. Patients suffering from severe heart failure were a new group connected to this care organisation. The aims were to examine how the diagnosis was verified and to scrutinize the underlining cardiovascular disorders and the medical treatment. Furthermore to investigate the frequency of hospital readmission after vs. before the patients' connection to the homecare team. The majority (81 %) of the patients had had their diagnoses verified with echocardiography. Most of the patients (88 %) were treated with an ACE-inhibitor or an angiotensin-II -receptor blocker, while 44 % of the patients were prescribed a betareceptor-blocker. We found that patients were readmitted to the hospital significantly less often, after connection to the palliative homecare team. The hospital readmission decreased during 0–90 days by −63 % and in 0–180 days by −58 %.