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Background: Social isolation has been shown to have a negative impact on psychosocial and physical health, particularly among older adults. However, these relationships have not been fully examined among patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: Residents from 11 southeast MN counties with a first-ever ICD-9 code 428 for HF between 1/1/2013 and 3/31/2014 (N=1649) were mailed a survey to measure social isolation (PROMIS Social Isolation Short Form) and functional status and mental health (PROMIS 29 Health Profile). A total of 778 patients returned the survey (response rate 47%), and among these, 645 completed all questions and were retained for analysis. Patients who returned a completed survey were similar on age (p=0.15), sex (p=0.80), and Charlson comorbidity index (p=0.28) to those who did not return or returned an incomplete survey. The relationship between social isolation and functional …