Competence Network Heart Failure (CNHF)

The German Competence Network Heart Failure (CNHF) was established in June 2003 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research and Education. Its main purpose is to provide and nurture interdisciplinary cooperation between research and primary, secondary and tertiary health care.
Many internationally renowned heart failure researchers and working groups live and work in Germany. Nevertheless, there is insufficient cooperation of the respective working groups and research projects in this area.

In order to remain internationally competitive in the heart failure research community, excellent implementation of large scale clinical and genetic trials is indispensable. Further, deficits in the effective presentation and transfer of research findings into clinical practice need to be addressed. An adequate translation of guidelines into practical, tangible instructions can facilitate clinical practice both in primary and tertiary care fundamentally. The need for action to address the research-practice-gap is obvious.

Main objectives of the Competence Network Heart Failure are:

1. Augmentation of research efficiency and effectiveness.Research deficits are to be identified in order to create the basis for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies
2. Improvement in the quality of health care. Initially, a review of health care in different locations will be carried out for this purpose. Results of these analyses will provide a rational basis for preventive strategies amongst the German population
3. Influence of the network on the general population. The aim of the Competence Network Heart Failure is to provide patients and the general public alike with comprehensive information about heart failure and latest research results in this area to form the basis for more effective prevention.

There are three main elements which play a key role in the achievement of these objectives: Firstly, the establishment of a capable, high-quality infrastructure for cooperation; secondly, the formation of a centre for clinical trial coordination, management and biometrics; and thirdly the setup of a central biomaterial bank to process and store biomaterial for the whole network. The scientific emphases of the respective working groups and reference centres are integrated into the whole network project in such a way that research findings are only obtainable in cooperation and could not have been delivered by any individual facility.

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