As part of the Cardiology at the Interface of Primary and Secondary Care webinar series, this 90-minute interactive session will focus on the role of general practitioners in the management of heart failure, a common condition with high morbidity and hospital readmission rate. There is strong evidence that comprehensive multidisciplinary care with GPs as the central cog improve heart failure outcomes.
This session will provide a practical overview to the identification and diagnosis of heart failure in the primary care setting, strategies to achieve optimal guideline directed therapy, tips for interpreting an echocardiogram, and recognising when specialist referral is appropriate.
This is an RACGP approved activity for 1.5 hours of Education Activities.
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Learning outcomes:
- Describe the mechanisms involved in the development of HFrEF and HFpEF
- Interpret evidence based diagnostic strategies for heart failure
- Recall a Mnemonic for the evidence based therapies for heart failure
- Demonstrate comfort in prescribing and titrating the 4 Pillars of heart failure therapy
Speaker Information:
Nathan is an interventional cardiologist and Director of Cardiology at the Royal Hobart Hospital. He’s an elected board member of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Graduating from the University of Tasmania in 2000, he completed his specialty cardiology training at the Royal Hobart Hospital in 2007. He was awarded his PhD in 2010 by researching pulmonary haemodynamics and wave reflection before undertaking 2 years of subspecialty training in coronary intervention and clinical research at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Calgary, Canada. Nathan has strong clinical interests in heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and coronary intervention. He’s actively involved in clinical trials and system redesign. In his leadership capacity he’s an advocate for civility and humility in healthcare for improved patient outcomes.
Luke is a Cardiac Nurse Practitioner who graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Tasmania in 2007. He went onto working at the Tasmanian Neurosurgical Unit where he completed a Masters of Neuroscience Nursing. Luke transitioned to the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory in 2015 where he completed a graduate certificate in cardiovascular nursing through the University of Tasmania. Luke went onto completing a Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) through Queensland University of Technology in 2022 with clinical tutorage from Dr Nathan Dwyer and Dr Paul MacIntyre at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Luke has been a practising Nurse Practitioner for 3 years with special interest in heart failure, valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, primary/secondary cardiovascular risk management and education/support following cardiac procedures.
Expert panel:
Dr Paul MacIntyre
Paul has clinical interests in general cardiology, pacemakers, heart device therapy and cardiac rehabilitation. He graduated from Glasgow University, Scotland in 1987. He completed specialist training in Glasgow and was appointed as a Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in 1996. In 2007 he received a merit award for achievements in Cardiology in Scotland and his broader contribution to the NHS. In 2005 he was appointed to the position of Lead Clinician for Coronary Heart Disease in Scotland and Chair of the National Advisory Committee to the Scottish Government. In this role he worked with the Scottish Government on service development, strategy and policy in relation to Cardiology. He moved to Hobart in 2011. He was Director of Cardiology at the Royal Hobart Hospital from 2012 to 2020. He was instrumental in the development of clinical services. He is the Medical Director of the Acute Medical Services Stream and a member of the Royal Hobart Hospital Executive Committee.
Dr Faline Howes
Faline is a general practitioner and public health physician with many years of experience working clinically in primary and tertiary care, academic GP, state health departments and PHT.
She is currently employed by the THS as the GPLO in the South. This role focuses on the interface between primary and tertiary care with the aims of:
- facilitating better integration of care,
- improved clinical handover, communication, collaboration and engagement
- and ultimately creating more appropriate clinical pathways for patients.