What services are currently provided to people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the UK, and what are their components? A protocol for a scoping literature review.

Abstract

Aims: Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing in incidence and is increasingly the most common HF diagnosis. Patients with HFpEF are often excluded from specialist HF services, which has negative impacts on their healthcare experiences and health-related outcomes. As emerging evidence-based treatments are being incorporated into clinical guidelines, it is timely to focus on the management of this phenotype. This review aims to explore literature around care provision for HFpEF in the UK, to characterize and assess HFpEF care pathways against current standards, and to generate evidence to create an optimized framework of care.

Methods and results: A scoping review of the evidence from six databases will be performed, alongside a search of grey literature search and consultation with relevant experts. Given the expected heterogeneity, multiple lines of synthesis are anticipated. Data analysis will follow best practice guidelines for the synthesizing methodologies selected. Patient and public representatives will assist with analysis and in identifying priority components for HFpEF clinical services.

Conclusion: This scoping literature review will enable an in-depth examination of the current health service provision for those with HFpEF in the UK. Synthesis of key components of services and illumination of challenges and barriers will inform current and future practice. There is a long history of specialist HF care in the UK, including seminal work on nurse-led care. Therefore, evidence derived from this review will likely be useful to HF services across Europe. The proposed combination of the search across both peer-reviewed literature and grey literature, combined with patient and public involvement, will identify the key components of a framework of care for those with HFpEF.

Registration: This scoping review protocol was published on the public Open Science Framework platform (no registration reference provided) and can be accessed at: https://osf.io/5gufq/.