Treatment Roulette for Heart Patients
During Arendalsuka 2024 (the largest political gathering in Norway, held annually since 2012), LHL organized a debate on the follow-up care of patients after experiencing a heart attack. The discussion focused on how to ensure a comprehensive and interdisciplinary follow-up that provides heart attack patients with better health and quality of life, and what needs to be done to ensure that everyone, regardless of postcode, has equal opportunities for good follow-up care.
Mari Larsen, Secretary General of LHL, presented a patient perspective on how postal code affects the follow-up care someone receives after a myocardial infarction. Marte Kvittum Tangen, Chair of the Norwegian Association for General Practice, presented her perspectives on follow-up care from the standpoint of a general practitioner. Jarle Jortveit, cardiologist and research leader at Sørlandet Hospital Arendal and the University of Agder, presented data from the Myocardial Infarction Registry and outpatient follow-up at Sørlandet Hospital. Trond Pettersen, Postdoctoral Fellow and Specialist Nurse in Cardiology Care at Haukeland University Hospital, presented data from the new Heart Attack Health Atlas, which shows that in the period 2018-2022, only 14% of patients received multimodal and interdisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation after a myocardial infarction. Furthermore, Pettersen presented eHeartRehab as a solution to achieve equitable healthcare services regardless of residential address. Astrid Nylenna, Medical Director of the Division for Public Health and Prevention at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, presented the national strategy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Larsen used a patient case to demonstrate that cardiac rehabilitation is essential for learning to manage risk factors and making lifestyle changes, while also providing reassurance for patients who have experienced a myocardial infarction. Tangen emphasized that if all rehabilitation is relegated to the municipalities, we are on the wrong track. Cardiac rehabilitation is so specialized that it would be impractical to build this expertise in every municipality. Pettersen pointed out that there is insufficient focus on vulnerable groups in cardiac rehabilitation, such as the elderly, those with multiple comorbidities, and ethnic minorities.
You can watch the full debate here: Arendalsveka 2024 - 15_LHL on Vimeo