MEthodology
This report has been prepared by Roche Diagnostics Limited and the Pumping Marvellous Foundation. The research methodology was designed by Roche Diagnostics Limited and the Pumping Marvellous Foundation and undertaken by Censuswide and OPEN VIE, and the findings are the basis of this report. Roche Diagnostics owns all copyright, designs, research and all other existing intellectual property rights associated with this report.
To assess the heart failure diagnostic pathway we developed a methodology that encompasses both qualitative and quantitative elements; a quantitative survey conducted by Censuswide in which 625 participants shared insights about their experience of heart failure diagnosis, the effect it has had on them in addition to their experience of living with heart failure during COVID-19; semi-structured qualitative interviews with people living with heart failure; and quantitative Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) from 2018-2019 which captured all hospital activity relating to seven heart failure ICD-10 codes recorded as a primary diagnosis for that spell, between April 2018 and March 2019.
Methodology
Censuswide Survey
Roche Diagnostics Limited commissioned Censuswide, a leading market research and survey consultancy company who conducted an online survey between 26.06.20 and 20.07.20, with a sample of 625 respondents who have been diagnosed with heart failure in their lifetime. 315 respondents were sourced by Censuswide via an online access panel, with a further 310 respondents sourced via the Pumping Marvellous Foundation’s patient communities.  All respondents were double opted in (with an opt in and validation process) and completed a profiling questionnaire when joining. Their data was then stored anonymously. Throughout, statistics representing “strongly agree” and “agree somewhat” are combined to represent the percentage of respondents who agreed with a statement.
This data is held by NHS Digital. HES is a database containing details of all admissions, A&E attendances and outpatient appointments at NHS hospitals in England. Copyright © 2020 Re-used with the permission of NHS Digital. All rights reserved.
hospital Episodes Statistics (HES)
To establish the heart failure cohort in the HES database, OPEN VIE, a specialist market access and health informatics consultancy which is licensed to access HES, identified all hospital activity relating to heart failure using the ICD-10 codes recorded as a primary diagnosis between April 2018 and March 2019
HES data covers all NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England, including:
  • private patients treated in NHS hospitals
  • patients resident outside of England
  • care delivered by treatment centres (including those in the independent sector) funded by the NHS
Each HES record contains a wide range of pseudonymised information about an individual patient admitted to an NHS hospital, including:
  • clinical information about diagnoses and operations
  • patient information, such as age group, gender and ethnicity
  • administrative information, such as dates and methods of admission and discharge
  • geographical information such as where patients are treated and the area where they live
  • I110 – Hypertensive heart disease with (congestive) heart failure
  • I255 – Ischaemic cardiomyopathy
  • I420 – Dilated cardiomyopathy
  • I429 – Cardiomyopathy, unspecified
  • I500 – Congestive heart failure
  • I501 – Left ventricular failure
  • I509 – Heart failure, unspecified
Based on these codes, OPEN VIE recorded – within the HES data – the number of patients who had a diagnosis of heart failure on first hospital admission; those who received a diagnosis but had attended a cardiology department within the previous six months, those who were diagnosed following a non-elective admission; readmission rates for the same cause within 30, 60 and 90 days; mortality status of those diagnosed with heart failure over the same period within 30 days, six months and 12 months post first admission; the total number of patients receiving echocardiograms with no further admission or subsequent admission; the average length of time between first echocardiogram to first admission; the total cost of echocardiograms and the average cost per patient; cost of echocardiograms with no further follow-up; total number of elective, non-elective and day-case admissions; average length of stay per elective and non-elective admission; total bed days; and total and average costs of admission per patient.