Fewer than half of patients diagnosed with heart failure in primary care are being referred to a cardiologist, a study shows.

Data from Australian general practices also shows that only six out of 10 patients with the condition have a Medicare-subsidised GP Management Plan despite visiting their GP an average of 14 times a year.

In the retrospective cohort study, presented at the GP19 conference in Adelaide over the weekend, researchers led by Melbourne GP Dr Ralph Audehm explored the prevalence and real-world management of heart failure in the primary care setting.

Drawing upon de-identified data from more than 1.9 million patients from a network of 43 practices — of whom some 20,000 (2%) had definite or probable heart failure — they found that only 47% were referred to a cardiologist within 30 days of diagnosis.