Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Heart failure is a serious medical condition that decreases patients' quality of life and life expectancy. While there are many medications available for heart failure treatment, decisions regarding these medications are difficult because they involve complex trade-offs between benefits (such as improved quality of life and survival) and harms (such as side effects and cost). Even though these decisions are often not "one-size-fits all" they are usually made by the healthcare provider without exploring the patient's preferences. A major reason for this is because healthcare providers are under serious time pressures that prevent them from fully involving patients in every decision. These time pressures are especially relevant when caring for patients with heart failure since there are at least a dozen medication options to consider. Providing guidance on which heart failure medication decisions most need patient involvement can help healthcare providers engage with patients without making unrealistic demands of their limited time. We are currently recruiting patients with heart failure from across Canada for a questionnaire that will provide this much needed guidance by determining which medication choices most need patient input. For example, if 99% of patients would choose "Medication A" and only 1% would choose "Medication B", then it is probably not a good use of healthcare provider time to share that decision with patients. However, if 50% of patients would choose "Medication A" and 50% would choose "Medication B", it should be high priority to involve patients in that decision. In addition to clinicians using the results of this study to better involve patients in their heart failure care, these findings will also be used to create resources that support patients navigating these complex decisions.