Table 3.

Definition of basic care in the PASSPORT-HF trial, delivered by specialized HF staff

Component	Description
Patient training at study start	An educational session with specialized HF staff while the patient is still in hospital; with the option to repeat educational segments during subsequent telephone calls, if required
Patient manual	An illustrated brochure handed out at study start; it informs on HF symptoms, medication, and gives advice regarding self-care, life-style adjustments, and emergency measures; during telephone follow-up calls, specialized HF staff can refer to its content
Symptom calendar	Booklet for daily self-recording of the patient´s body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and symptoms
Repetitive structured telephone contact	Weekly calls in the first month after study initiation, then bi-weekly calls for patients in NYHA class III/IV, and 4-weekly calls for patients in NYHA class I/II for the remainder of the study period; contents of these contacts are documented in a structured fashion; a modified 14-item questionnaire [5] will be used addressing general health status, most recent self-measured values, indicators of deteriorating HF, well-being, and (changes in) medication; all educational elements relate to recommendations listed in the The German National Disease Management Guideline “Chronic Heart Failure” (Nationale VersorgungsLeitlinie Chronische Herzinsuffizienz, https://www.leitlinien.de/nvl/herzinsuffizienz)
Usual medical care	Treatment of HF and concomitant diseases by means of guideline-directed therapy and routine pathways established at the respective site or region