Welcome to this course on Heart Failure (HF) where you will strengthen your understanding of how HF develops, how it is identified, and how pharmacists can meaningfully contribute to its management across diverse care settings. You will explore the key clinical features of HF, learn how to interpret essential diagnostic tests, and understand how different HF phenotypes influence therapeutic decisions.

Across the modules, you will examine evidence-based lifestyle and pharmacological treatments, the impact of comorbidities on disease progression and medication choices, and the practical steps involved in assessing and managing acute decompensation. By linking clinical knowledge with real-world pharmacy practice, this course will equip you to recognise early deterioration, optimise guideline-directed therapy, support adherence, and contribute proactively to multidisciplinary HF care.

From medication reviews in the community to monitoring treatment response in hospital settings, you will gain the confidence to apply HF principles safely and effectively, particularly where diagnostic resources or medicines may be limited.

What you can expect in this course:

• Module 1 covers the fundamentals of HF, including key pathophysiology, common causes, and essential diagnostic tests. You will learn how to interpret results such as natriuretic peptide levels (NT-proBNP) and how to act appropriately on early signs and symptoms.

• Module 2 explores lifestyle modification and pharmacological management, focusing on the “four pillars” of HF therapy, medicines optimisation, treatment monitoring, patient counselling and strategies that empower patients to self-manage their condition effectively.

• Module 3 examines major cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular comorbidities, showing how they influence HF presentation, prognosis, and pharmacological therapy. You will learn how to tailor recommendations and anticipate medication-related challenges specific to multimorbid patients.

• Module 4 provides practical guidance on recognising and managing acute HF, including identifying triggers, interpreting key signs, symptoms and investigations, and supporting safe and timely escalation of care. The module also highlights the pharmacist’s role in preventing readmission and optimising therapy at discharge.