Agreement of self-reported heart failure (HF) with physician diagnosed HF is poor, and self-reports of HF are best confirmed by diagnostic tests or medical records, a new study found. Participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study (aged 60-83 years) were asked annually whether a physician indicated they have HF. For those self-reporting HF, physicians were asked to confirm their patient’s HF status. Physician diagnosed HF included surveillance of hospitalized HF, and hospitalized and outpatient HF. Researchers found:

• Compared to physician diagnosed HF, sensitivity of self-report was low (28-38%) and specificity was high (96-97%).
• Agreement was poor and increased when adjusted for prevalence and bias.
• Prevalence of HF measured by self-report (9.0%), ARIC-classified hospitalizations (11.2%), or administrative hospitalization claims (12.7%) were similar.

The authors stressed that there is a need for improved awareness and understanding of HF by patients.