Three Women’s Health Fund projects were launched recently aimed at protecting and improving heart health in women who have, or are at risk of, heart failure.
Supported by €570,000 in funding, the projects are a collaboration between University College Dublin (UCD) and the Heart Failure Unit at St Michael’s Hospital in Dun Laoghaire in association with St Vincent’s University Hospital. The Heart Failure Unit is supported by the HeartBeat Trust in maintaining specialist clinical and research services in heart failure and heart failure prevention in Ireland.
The initiatives, launched during Women’s Health Week, align with the commitments in the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-2025 to spotlight cardiovascular health in women. They also contribute to the ongoing evolution of women’s health services.
In Ireland, one-in-four women die from heart disease or stroke, while heart failure is also a significant health issue impacting approximately 50,000 women every year.
The three projects aim to addresses the disproportionately higher impact of heart failure and cardiovascular disease in women by providing data, developing guidelines and establishing services that will ultimately lead to improvement prevention, treatment and management of heart conditions.
The three UCD projects operating in St Michael’s Hospital are:
1: Maternal Care Clinic: Cardiovascular Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) following hypertensive disorders of Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes.
Women who are diagnosed with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease in later life. This project will support the development of a personalised service for postpartum cardiovascular risk assessment, to ensure swift treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease later in life.
2: Women’s Initiative for Strengthening Empowerment in Heart Failure and Tackling Social Determinants of Health Impacting Self-Care Study (WISE-HF)
This project will examine how the social determinants of health impact on self-care behaviours of women at risk of and diagnosed with heart failure. It aims to provide valuable data that can be used to address the fact that women are more impacted by socio-economic factors, such as the caring burden in life, and how this affects their ability to self-care and manage their symptom burden.
3: Focus on Heart Failure among Women: Enhancing prevention and early diagnostic strategies
This project aims to ensure that women at risk of heart failure are quicky identified and given appropriate onward referral and management. It involves collaboration between 25 GP practices, with 500 female patients over the age of 40 undergoing a blood test to check for risk factors.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said at the launch: “Historically, women’s experiences have been an afterthought in the development and improvement of health treatment and care, but the tide is turning.
“The projects I’m launching today are a wonderful example of how research can be used to achieve better outcomes for patients. They will provide valuable insights and data that will inform the design and delivery of better, targeted heart health services and interventions, to ensure women get the appropriate care when they need it.”
Clinical Co-lead of the HSE National Heart Programme and Consultant Cardiologist, St Vincent’s Healthcare Group Prof Ken McDonald, said: “Increasingly, we are realising that there are critical differences in the pathway to heart failure among women and how women present and are managed with this condition. These areas require specific focus and attention and our group at SVUH Healthcare and UCD are delighted to be leading on this with the support of these Women’s Health Fund funded projects.”
