Curriculum heart failure: Task force curriculum heart failure of the working group on heart failure of the Austrian Cardiological Society

It is well recognized that organized management of heart failure patients, including care by heart failure specialists, improves outcomes of these patients. In response to this, the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology proposed a basic framework of a heart failure curriculum, which became a blueprint for training programs across Europe. The present curriculum for heart failure was well coordinated with the version issued by the German Society for Cardiology in order to achieve good comparability. Training in this Austrian curriculum takes two years, during which the predominant activity focuses on the care of patients with heart failure. The first year includes general (basic) training, while in the second year special modules (advanced chronic and acute heart failure with specific treatment, device treatment, interventional heart failure treatment, outpatient care or rehabilitation, heart failure diagnostics) must be chosen that impart in-depth knowledge, experience and/or skills. Of the five offered modules two must be completed for 6 months each. At least one specialist in internal medicine and cardiology with the additional qualification of heart failure must act as a supervisor at the training center. A certified Heart Failure Unit or a comparable structure should be available at the training center and integrated into the clinical routine of the cardiology department. Applications for recognition of curricular achievements in order to obtain the additional qualification “heart failure specialist” shall be evaluated by a dedicated committee of the nucleus of the Heart Failure Working Group of the Austrian Cardiological Society. The candidate will receive recognition of the additional qualification in heart failure, issued by the Austrian Cardiological Society.