Information & Links – Heart Failure
Selected Evidence-Informed Resources for Patients and Professionals
The following resources and materials have been identified and reviewed by the Health Experiences Research Team – selected for their relevance and potential value for patients and professionals seeking reliable, evidence-based information on heart failure, particularly for women (including those identifying as female). This is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Please also seek further information from trusted sources and your healthcare professional team.
ABOUT HEART FAILURE
Canadian Cardiovascular Society Companion Resources (English)
The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is the national voice for cardiovascular clinicians & scientists, representing more than 2,300 cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and other heart health specialists. This link to their companion resources includes useful algorithms, links to supplementary material, and offers a practical approach to patient care.
Canadian Heart Patient Alliance (English)
The Canadian Heart Patient Alliance is dedicated to reducing cardiovascular disease and preventing early death due to cholesterol and other risk factors. This patient-led non-profit has shared resources for patients including articles on cardiovascular disease and patient risk calculators.
Heart Failure – Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada (English/French)
This bilingual resource by the Heart & Stroke Foundation offers information on the causes, risk factors, symptoms, treatments, and prognosis of heart failure.
Canadian Heart Function Alliance (English/French)
The Canadian Heart Function Alliance (CHFA) is a pan-Canadian, patient-driven research network dedicated to overcoming the challenges of heart failure to improve its prediction, prevention, diagnosis and management. CHFA brings together heart failure (HF) researchers, clinical experts. patients, caregivers, and health care providers, to improve the prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and management of HF.
Patient Education: Heart Failure – Beyond the Basics – UptoDate (USA) (English)
UpToDate delivers evidence-based clinical decision support that is clear, actionable, and rich with real-world insights. This article is patient-oriented and publicly available, providing most common causes, symptoms, and treatment of heart failure.
Living with Heart Failure – Cleveland Clinic (USA) (English)
The Cleveland Clinic Health Library includes reliable information on specific diseases and conditions to help you take care of yourself and your family. This resource shares videos, handouts, and online information on managing heart failure, including heart failure zones, medications, diets, and exercise.
Heart Failure – American Heart Association (USA) (English)
This resource by the American Heart Association includes videos, infographics, and short articles on heart failure, types, causes and risk factors, treatment options, and various other topics of interest to patients and caregivers.
Self-Care Guide for the Heart Failure Patient (USA) (English)
This short article talks about how patients with heart failure can take care of themselves – including details on symptoms, lifestyle changes, medications, and treatments.
Heart Failure Matters (Europe) (English/French)
This resource by the European Society of Cardiology offers practical information for patients, families, and caregivers, including resources on understanding heart failure, information for caregivers, and what patients can do to take care of themselves.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
Canadian
Heart Failure Support Group – University of Ottawa Heart Institute (English)
The Heart Failure Support Group is free and open to all patients diagnosed with heart failure and their support persons. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet and interact with other people living with heart failure in an informal setting. Many sessions feature guest speakers presenting a variety of heart health topics and who will be available to answer questions from the group. A nurse specialized in heart failure is present during each meeting to offer additional support, provide education, and follow up with any concerns.
Heart & Stroke Canada – Online Community (English/French)
The Heart & Stroke Foundation offers communities for survivors and care supporters. If you have experienced a diagnosis or event or caring for someone living with heart disease, this online community is here to support you. It provides a moderated, bilingual, welcoming space for survivors in Canada.
HeartLife Canada – Help for Hearts (English)
HeartLife Foundation – the Patient Voice for Heart Failure in Canada – set up and manages this Facebook group so that people affected by heart failure can talk freely and share experiences in a safe environment with others that understand.
Canadian Women with Medical Heart Issues – Online Support Group (English)
Affiliated with the HeartLife Foundation, this Facebook group provides an online community for Canadian women to support each other and share information about living with heart health issues.
Canadian Transplant Association (English)
The Canadian Transplant Association is a charitable organization whose vision is to improve the health outcomes of transplant recipients by promoting the message of post-transplant healthy living. They raise awareness, create community for transplant recipients, donor families, living donors and their families, and engage with advocacy groups.
Our Heart Hub – Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (Toronto, Canada) (English)
The Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research patient education website is filled with heart failure information developed by medical experts.
HeartLinks Heart Transplant Support Group (English)
This is an online Facebook support group of heart transplant patients out of Toronto.
CorHealth Ontario (English)
This includes professional resources for healthcare providers and heart failure education for patients and caregivers. This section of the toolkit aims to provide evidence-based resources to bridge that knowledge gap between members of integrated heart failure care teams.
International
HeartLife Foundation (English/French)
The HeartLife Foundation is a patient-driven charity whose mission is to transform the quality of life for people living with heart failure by engaging, educating, and empowering a global community to create lasting solutions and build healthier lives.
Global Heart Hub (English)
The Global Heart Hub is a global non-profit organization established to provide a voice for those affected by cardiovascular disease. They are an alliance of heart patient organizations, aiming to create a unified global voice for those living with or affected by heart disease.