Abstract:
The growing burden of heart failure (HF) challenges health practitioners to implement and evaluate
models of care to facilitate optimal health related outcomes. Australia supports a publicly
funded universal health insurance system with a strong emphasis on primary care provided by
general practitioners. The burden of chronic HF, and a social and political framework favoring
community-based, noninstitutionalized care, represents an ideal environment in which homebased
HF programs can be implemented successfully. Cardiovascular nurses are well positioned
to champion and mentor implementation of evidence-based, patient-centered programs in Australian
communities. This paper describes the facilitators and barriers to implementation of best
practice models in the Australian context. These include the challenge of providing care in a diverse,
multicultural society and the need for clinical governance structures to ensure equal access
to the most effective models of care.
