Practices and barriers in screening for Cognitive Impairment in Heart Failure: a Clinician Survey.
Only 14% of cardiologists systematically screen heart failure patients for cognitive impairment.
Practices and barriers in screening for Cognitive Impairment in Heart Failure: a Clinician Survey.
Cognitive impairment (CI) affects a significant percentage of heart failure (heart failure) patients, reducing adherence and worsening outcomes.
To evaluate cognitive assessment practices, identify barriers, and examine associations between knowledge, attitudes, and clinical behaviors among clinicians managing heart failure patients.
An anonymous cross-sectional survey was distributed to 120 cardiologists across 68 clinics in the Hellenic Heart Failure Clinics Network (May-June 2025).
Fifty-one cardiologists completed the survey, corresponding to a response rate of 42.5%.
Main barriers reported were lack of time (76%) and inadequate familiarity with assessment tools (50%).
Screening frequency was not associated with heart failure patient volume (χ2 = 4.75, p = 0.58).
Significant correlations were demonstrated between a. knowledge on CI and frequency of screening (V = 0.37, p = 0.04); b. frequency of screening and support of establishing screening as routine practice (V = 0.50, p < 0.001) and c. frequency of screening and referral of patients to specialists (V = 0.39, p = 0.007).
There is a gap between awareness of and testing for CI in heart failure patients, with the latter not being affected by clinicians' patient load.
Since there is universal interest in learning, integrating screening tools into daily routines and creating clear referral pathways may help in addressing this evidence-practice gap.