Women’s Experiences with Cardiovascular Disease, A Patient-Led Qualitative Research Project

Global Heart Hub’s IPEC2 patient-led research project will collect patient experience data from approximately 300 women in 8 countries. It builds on prior work conducted in Australia, Brazil and the United States.

IPEC2 will include women with cardiovascular conditions such as ASCVD, elevated LDL-C, elevated LP(a), heart valve disease and cardiomyopathy.

The study is being guided by a Steering and a Review Committees, comprised of people with lived experience, patient organisation leaders and international clinical experts.

Study Objectives: 

• Explore women’s experiences, awareness and recognition of cardiovascular symptoms;
• Identify pathways and barriers to cardiovascular healthcare; and
• Assess the burden of managing cardiovascular disease on women’s lives.

2026 Highlights

ACNAP 2026 

Global Heart Hub was delighted to present at ACNAP 2026 on 12 June as part of the Late Breaking Research studies session, “Understanding Women’s Cardiovascular Symptom and Diagnosis Experiences: Insights from an International Patient-Led Study (IPEC2).” 

• The preliminary findings reveal that women experienced perceived bias in their healthcare journey, sharing their perceptions of times in their diagnosis and treatment journey where others indicated they were “too young” or “not the type” for #cardiovascular disease. 
• This perceived bias created barriers to timely diagnosis, with women reporting that their cardiovascular disease symptoms were commonly not attributed to cardiovascular disease (missed diagnosis) or misdiagnosed as other non-cardiac conditions, most frequently anxiety. 
• Women described a broad and varied range of symptoms, including symptoms beyond those reported in guidelines. 

These findings highlight the need for improved symptom recognition and patient education to support earlier identification and more equitable, patient-centred care across cardiovascular settings. Read more.

ISPOR 2026 

Global Heart Hub, represented by Dr Joe Vandigo (Applied Patient Experience), was delighted to present a poster at ISPOR 2026 on 20 May in Philadelphia, USA. 

The poster, "Understanding Women's Cardiovascular Symptom and Diagnosis Experiences: Insights from an International Patient-Led Study (IPEC2)", highlighted the need for improved symptom recognition and patient education to support earlier identification and more equitable, patient-centered care across cardiovascular settings. 

View the poster now.