Table 4.

Context of using the tools in practice.

Tool	Author	Patient characteristics	Professional characteristics	Type of healthcare organization	Format	Timing and setting
IPOS	Kane et al.28,29	Patients attending nurse-led CHF clinics; (NYHA class III–IV, with HFrEF, or HF symptoms and either HFmrEF or HFpEF; fluency and literacy in English; sufficient cognitive function to complete the questionnaires; ⩾18 years of age.	Nurses specialized in heart failure	Two national tertiary referral centers	Paper format, on a clip board with a pen	Patients completed the IPOS while waiting to be reviewed at the nurse-led CHF disease management clinic, on arrival to the clinic
NAT-PD:HF	Waller et al.31	(1) HF of either systolic or diastolic etiology being managed by a MHFC, (2) receiving optimal therapy or documented intolerance, (3) hospitalized within the last 12 months for CHF, (4) understanding English to complete the questionnaires, and (5) emotionally and cognitively capable of participating.	Clinic staff members	Metropolitan referral hospital	One page tool assessment	In outpatient consultation or during admission (cardiology ward). A second staff member completed a second copy of the NAT: PD-HF during a second consultation for the same participant on the same day without discussing the patient or comparing responses with the first staff member
NAT-PD:HF	Janssen et al.32	CHF- outpatients, and if present their primary family caregiver. Patients had a diagnosis of CHF NYHA III or IV according to the ESC guidelines; scheduled to receive a home visit by a HFN; able to provide IC, complete written questionnaires or participate in interviews. Patients already known to the specialist PC team were ineligible.	Nurses specialized in heart failure	One university hospital	One page tool assessment	Usual care, home visit
RADPAC	Thoonsen et al.34–38	Patients with CHF, COPD or cancer who potentially could benefit from a palliative care approach	General practitioners	General practice	Set of indicators	To screen the medical records of all persons in their practice. General practitioners were also asked to use this screening instrument whenever new data of any patient with one of these three diseases became available
HFNAQ	Davidson et al.39	Patients with HF discharged from a hospital within 30 days. NYHA class I to IV, and willing to give IC and attend an educational and exercise program. Those with insufficient language skills and cognitive impairment were excluded from the study.	Cardiac clinical nurse specialist	A tertiary referral center with comprehensive cardiac surgery and inter-ventional cardiology services	Questionnaire	During an assessment to participate in a CHF-specific educational and exercise program Patients had the opportunity to complete HFNAQ with the nurse or take it home and return it within 7 days.
NECPAL	Gastelurrutia et al.46	All consecutive ambulatory patients attended in the CHF clinics of 3 university hospitals during a 4-month period were enrolled	Doctors and nursing staff	Three university hospitals	Questionnaire	During a scheduled ambulatory visit
NECPAL	Orzechowski et al.45	Patients > 35 years, hospitalized with a HF diagnosis NYHA III/IV or EF ⩽40% in the last 12 months. Exclusion criteria: inadequate cognitive conditions to respond adequately to questions, and absence of a responsible person capable of responding on their behalf.	Physicians	One tertiary hospital	Questionnaire, paper format	A cardiology ward.The researcher asked the NECPAL questions to the physician during routine care

NYHA: New York Heart Association (class I-IV); IC: Informed Consent; CHF: Chronic Heart Failure; HFrEF: Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (EF<40%); HFmrEF: Heart Failure with midrange systolic function (EF 41-49%; HFpEF: Heart Failure with preserved systolic function (EF >50%); ESC: European Society of Cardiology; HFN: Heart Failure Nurse; EF: Ejection Fraction; MHFC: Multidisciplinary Heart Failure Clinic.