The correlation of standard heart failure assessment and palliative care questionnaires in a multidisciplinary heart failure clinic

Symptom prevalence, severity, distress and management among patients with chronic diseases

BACKGROUND

Advanced knowledge, technology, and treatment approaches resulted in longer survival rates for patients suffering from chronic diseases. However, symptoms of these diseases persist and affect the individual's entire life and normal functioning.

AIM

To assess symptoms prevalence, severity, distress, and management among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), chronic heart failure (CHF), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Oman.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional design was used.

SAMPLE AND SETTINGS

The study sample comprised 340 participants who were recruited between May and December 2021 from two referral hospitals and one large dialysis unit in the Sultanate of Oman, Muscat Governate using a convenience sampling technique.

RESULTS

The highly prevalent symptoms among patients with selected chronic diseases were lack of energy (60.9%), pain (57.4%), numbness (53.2%), difficulty sleeping (49.4%), and shortness of breath (45.9%). The most severe symptoms were shortness of breath (53.2%), problems with urination (51.9%), constipation (50.8%), difficulty sleeping (49.7%), and pain (46.2%). The symptom "problems with sexual interests or activity" was found to be the most frequently occurring and highly distressing symptom out of all reported symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study's findings showed that symptoms were prevalent and that some symptoms were frequent, severe, and highly distressing. In addition, patients perceived symptom treatment as inadequate. Psychological symptoms received less treatment attention compared with physical symptoms. One of the mainstays for managing symptoms can be the introduction of palliative care. Providing palliative care to these patients can alleviate their suffering and improve their quality of life. In addition, designing chronic disease self-management programmes can make a difference in patients' life.

Symptom Burden among Hospitalised Older Patients with Heart Failure in Hanoi, Vietnam

This study aimed to assess the symptom burden among older patients hospitalised for heart failure. This hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, from June 2019 to August 2020. Face-to-face interviews were performed to gather the following information: socio-demographic characteristics, heart failure classification, and clinical characteristics (comorbidities, polypharmacy, pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), symptom burden, and depression). Symptom burden was assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), and depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire. A total of 314 patients participated in the study. The mean participant age was 72.67 (SD = 9.42) years. The most frequently reported symptoms on the ESAS were shortness of breath (95.5%), fatigue (94.8%), and anxiety (81.2%). In univariate analyses, depression was significantly associated with heart failure class (p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression revealed that major depression was significantly associated with total symptom burden score (Beta: 11.74; 95% CI: 9.24-14.23) and LVEF (Beta: -0.09; 95% CI: -0.17-(-0.007)). Patients hospitalised for heart failure experienced a high burden of symptoms. Further studies addressing adverse outcomes and expanding to community-dwelling older people are essential. Palliative care approaches that target symptom reduction should be considered in patients with heart failure.

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a troublesome condition with high healthcare utilization and cost. Most individuals with heart failure experience multiple symptoms including breathlessness, pain, depression, and anxiety.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to review the literature describing the use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale to assess the burden of symptoms and the impact of symptoms on heart failure outcomes including quality of life and functional outcomes.

METHODS

The search engines PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched from January 2001 to March 2020. A review of literature was undertaken using key terms "heart failure," "CHF," "cardiac failure," "heart decompensation," "myocardial failure," "Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale". Hand searching of articles was also undertaken.

RESULTS

The search resulted in 33 relevant articles, which were imported into Rayyan, a Web-based systematic review software program. We present synthesis of results of studies (1) using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale as an assessment of symptom burden and (2) evaluating the impact of symptom burden on quality of life and functional status.

CONCLUSION

This review highlighted the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale as a predictive instrument to identify symptom burden, symptom clusters, and symptom changes for patients living with heart failure. The clinical use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale may identify treatment priorities, promote self-management, inform the treatment plan, and advance effective therapeutic adjustments. The symptom burden in heart failure is high, and improving the symptom experience is an important focus of future healthcare interventions. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale has utility in heart failure management due to psychometric properties and ease of administration.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale may be useful in measuring patient-reported symptom burden in patients with heart failure in the clinical setting because it correlates well with other heart failure measures on quality of life and functional outcomes and provides useful information on symptom burden.

Elements of Integrated Palliative Care in Chronic Heart Failure Across the Care Continuum: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Individuals with chronic heart failure experience high symptom burden, reduced quality of life and high health care utilisation. Although there is growing evidence that a palliative approach, provided concurrently with usual treatment improves outcomes, the method of integrating palliative care for individuals living with chronic heart failure across the care continuum remains elusive.

AIM

To examine the key elements of integrated palliative care recommended for individuals living with chronic heart failure across the care continuum.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

Databases searched were CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus and OpenGrey. Studies written in English and containing key strategic elements specific to chronic heart failure were included. Search terms relating to palliative care and chronic heart failure and the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews was used.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine (79) articles were selected that described key elements to integrate palliative care for individuals with chronic heart failure. This review identifies four levels of key strategic elements: 1) clinical; 2) professional; 3) organisational and 4) system-level integration. Implementing strategies across these elements facilitates integrated palliative care for individuals with chronic heart failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Inter-sectorial collaborations across systems and the intersection of health and social services are essential to delivering integrated, person-centred palliative care. Further research focussing on patient and family needs at a system-level is needed. Research with strong theoretical underpinnings utilising implementation science methods are required to achieve and sustain complex behaviour change to translate key elements.

Palliative care referral criteria and outcomes in cancer and heart failure: a systematic review of literature

BACKGROUND

Cardiotoxicity resulting in heart failure (HF) is among the most dreaded complications of cancer therapy and can significantly impact morbidity and mortality. Leading professional societies in cardiology and oncology recommend improved access to hospice and palliative care (PC) for patients with cancer and advanced HF. However, there is a paucity of published literature on the use of PC in cardio-oncology, particularly in patients with HF and a concurrent diagnosis of cancer.

AIMS

To identify existing criteria for referral to and early integration of PC in the management of cases of patients with cancer and patients with HF, and to identify assessments of outcomes of PC intervention that overlap between patients with cancer and patients with HF.

DESIGN

Systematic literature review on PC in patients with HF and in patients with cancer.

DATA SOURCES

Databases including Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from January 2009 to September 2020.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies of PC in cancer and 14 studies of PC in HF were identified after screening of the 8647 retrieved citations. Cancer and HF share similarities in their patient-reported symptoms, quality of life, symptom burden, social support needs, readmission rates, and mortality.

CONCLUSION

The literature supports the integration of PC into oncology and cardiology practices, which has shown significant benefit to patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system alike. Incorporating PC in cardio-oncology, particularly in the management of HF in patients with cancer, as early as at diagnosis, will enable patients, family members, and healthcare professionals to make informed decisions about various treatments and end-of-life care and provide an opportunity for patients to participate in the decisions about how they will spend their final days.

Attitudes and practices towards palliative care in chronic heart failure: a survey of cardiovascular nurses and physicians

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a chronic condition with various implications for individuals and families. Although the importance of implementing palliative care is recommended in best practice guidelines, implementation strategies are less clear.

AIMS

This study sought to; (1) determine Australian and New Zealand cardiovascular nurses and physicians' end of life care attitudes and specialist palliative care referral in heart failure and; (2) determine self-reported delivery of supportive care and attitudes towards service names.

METHODS

An electronic survey was emailed to members of four peak bodies and professional networks. Participants were also recruited through social media. Paper-based versions of the survey were completed by attendees of the 66th Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting, August 2018.

FINDINGS

There were 113 completed responses included in the analyses. Participants were nurses (n = 75), physicians (n = 32) and allied health professionals (n = 4). Most (67%) reported they were comfortable with providing end of life care; however, fewer respondents agreed they received support for their dying patients and one-third experienced a sense of failure when heart failure progressed. Most (84-100%) participants agreed they would refer a heart failure patient later in the illness trajectory. There was a more favourable attitude towards the service name 'supportive care' than to 'palliative care'.

CONCLUSION

Comfort with end of life discussions is encouraging as it may lead to a greater likelihood of planning future care and identifying palliative care needs. Peer support and supervision may be useful for addressing feelings of failure. The use of needs-based assessment tools, adopting the service name 'supportive care' and further research focusing on primary palliative team-based approach is required to improve palliative care access.

IMPACT STATEMENT

Cardiovascular nurses and physicians are comfortable providing end of life care, but referrals to palliative care in the later stages of heart failure persists.

Content validation of the symptom control outcome for heart failure patients in palliative care

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the content validity of the Symptom Control nursing outcome for heart failure patients in palliative care and to analyze the influence of experts' experience in the judgment of the relevance of indicators.

METHODS

A methodological study conducted in São Paulo in 2018, with an adaptation of Fehring's validation model. The relevance of the 11 outcome indicators was assessed by 19 experts by means of an electronically submitted survey. The influence of the experts' experience on judgment was analyzed by the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and by Kendall's Tau correlation.

RESULTS

The indicators were considered pertinent; with 54.5% classified as critical. There was no association between the weighted means of the indicators and the experts' experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The indicators analyzed are relevant for the evaluation of the Symptom Control outcome in this group of patients. The experts' judgment was not influenced by their area of clinical experience or by their experience with the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC).

Referral Criteria to Palliative Care for Patients With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Patients with heart failure have significant symptom burden, care needs, and often a progressive course to end-stage disease. Palliative care referrals may be helpful but it is currently unclear when patients should be referred and by whom. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to examine referral criteria for palliative care among patients with heart failure.

METHODS

We searched Ovid, MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and PubMed databases for articles in the English language from the inception of databases to January 17, 2019 related to palliative care referral in patients with heart failure. Two investigators independently reviewed each citation for inclusion and then extracted the referral criteria. Referral criteria were then categorized thematically.

RESULTS

Of the 1199 citations in our initial search, 102 articles were included in the final sample. We identified 18 categories of referral criteria, including 7 needs-based criteria and 10 disease-based criteria. The most commonly discussed criterion was physical or emotional symptoms (n=51 [50%]), followed by cardiac stage (n=46 [45%]), hospital utilization (n=38 [37%]), prognosis (n=37 [36%]), and advanced cardiac therapies (n=36 [35%]). Under cardiac stage, 31 (30%) articles suggested New York Heart Association functional class ≥III and 12 (12%) recommended New York Heart Association class ≥IV as cutoffs for referral. Prognosis of ≤1 year was mentioned in 21 (21%) articles as a potential trigger; few other criteria had specific cutoffs.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review highlighted the lack of consensus regarding referral criteria for the involvement of palliative care in patients with heart failure. Further research is needed to identify appropriate and timely triggers for palliative care referral.

Prioritizing symptom management in the treatment of chronic heart failure

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a chronic, progressive disease that has detrimental consequences on a patient's quality of life (QoL). In part due to requirements for market access and licensing, the assessment of current and future treatments focuses on reducing mortality and hospitalizations. Few drugs are available principally for their symptomatic effect despite the fact that most patients' symptoms persist or worsen over time and an acceptance that the survival gains of modern therapies are mitigated by poorly controlled symptoms. Additional contributors to the failure to focus on symptoms could be the result of under‐reporting of symptoms by patients and carers and a reliance on insensitive symptomatic categories in which patients frequently remain despite additional therapies. Hence, formal symptom assessment tools, such as questionnaires, can be useful prompts to encourage more fidelity and reproducibility in the assessment of symptoms. This scoping review explores for the first time the assessment options and management of common symptoms in CHF with a focus on patient‐reported outcome tools. The integration of patient‐reported outcomes for symptom assessment into the routine of a CHF clinic could improve the monitoring of disease progression and QoL, especially following changes in treatment or intervention with a targeted symptom approach expected to improve QoL and patient outcomes.

Does heart failure-specific health status identify patients with bothersome symptoms, depression, anxiety, and/or poorer spiritual well-being?

AIMS

Patients with heart failure often have under-recognized symptoms, depression, anxiety, and poorer spiritual well-being ('QoL domains'). Ideally all patients should have heart failure-specific health status and quality of life (QoL) domains routinely evaluated; however, lack of time and resources are limiting in most clinical settings. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether heart failure-specific health status was associated with QoL domains and to identify a score warranting further evaluation of QoL domain deficits.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Participants (N = 314) enrolled in the Collaborative Care to Alleviate Symptoms and Adjust to Illness trial completed measures of heart failure-specific health status [Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, KCCQ (score 0-100, 0 = worst health status)], additional symptoms (Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), and spiritual well-being (Facit-Sp) at baseline. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) KCCQ score was 46.9 ± 19.3, mean age was 65.5 ± 11.4, and 79% were male. Prevalence of QoL domain deficits ranged from 11% (nausea) to 47% (depression). Sensitivity/specificity of KCCQ for each QoL domain ranged from 20-40%/80-96% for KCCQ ≤ 25, 61-84%/48-62% for KCCQ ≤ 50, 84-97%/26-40% for KCCQ ≤ 60, and 96-100%/8-13% for KCCQ ≤ 75. Patients with KCCQ ≤ 60 had mean ± SD 4.5 ± 2.5 QoL domain deficits (maximum 12), vs. 1.6 ± 1.6 for KCCQ > 60 (P < 0.001). Similar results were seen for KCCQ ≤25 (6.6 ± 2.4 vs. 3.3 ± 2.4), KCCQ ≤ 50 (4.8 ± 2.6 vs. 2.5 ± 2) and KCCQ ≤ 75 (4.0 ± 2.6 vs. 1.0 ± 1.2) (all P < 00001).

CONCLUSION

KCCQ ≤ 60 had good sensitivity for each QoL domain deficit and for patients with at least one QoL domain deficit. Screening for QoL domain deficits should target patients with lower KCCQ scores based on a clinic's KCCQ score distribution and clinical resources for addressing QoL domain deficits.

Relationship between functional capacity, performance and symptoms in hospitalized patients with heart failure

OBJECTIVES

to evaluate the prevalence of symptoms in heart failure patients and to investigate the relationship between symptoms, functional capacity and performance.

METHODS

cross-sectional study, developed at a hospital specializing in cardiology. The sample (n=170) consisted of patients with heart failure, assessed by means of a sociodemographic form, New York Heart Association Functional Class, Edmonton Symptom Rating Scale and Karnofsky Physical Performance Scale. Analyzes were performed using Spearman's Correlation and Pearson's Chi-Square test.

RESULTS

dyspnea, fatigue and edema were the main symptoms that led to the search for health services. During hospitalization, the main symptoms were anxiety, sleep disturbance and sadness. Weak negative correlations were observed between functionality, functional class, and symptom overload.

CONCLUSIONS

the prevalence of symptoms was high and changed throughout the hospitalization period. Patients with poorer functional capacity and poorer performance had greater symptom overload.

Screening and Initiating Supportive Care in Patients With Heart Failure

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) experience a major symptom burden and an overall reduction of quality of life. However, supportive care (SC) remains an under-utilized resource for these patients. Among the many existing barriers to integrating SC into routine care, identifying patients with SC needs remains challenging. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is an important predictor of SC needs in patients with HF.

Methods and Results: We used the shortened version KCCQ-12 as a screening tool for SC need in our ambulatory HF patient population using a KCCQ-12 summary score of <29 as the cut-off. Of the 456 patients who completed the KCCQ-12, 41 (9%) were predicted to have SC needs. Demographics, medical history, biochemical parameters, echocardiographic assessment and medical treatment were similar between the two groups of patients. However, patients with KCCQ-12 <29 were more symptomatic based on both New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification and American Heart Association (AHA) staging with a higher prevalence of depression. We established a multidisciplinary SC clinic and the profile and outcomes of patients with SC needs that were referred and followed at our SC clinic were also evaluated. Twenty-three patients were referred to our SC clinic: 2 died before being seen, 1 refused SC and 20 received SC. Of these 20 patients, 11 died and 9 are currently being followed. Median survival after starting the SC clinic is 3 months. In the original SC cohort of 23, 17 patients had available KCCQ-12 summary scores. However, only 6 out of 17 (35%) had KCCQ-12 scores <29, indicating the need for additional assessment tools in this patient population.

Conclusions: The magnitude of unmet supportive care needs in patients with HF is significant. While the KCCQ-12 questionnaire is a useful tool to identify patients with SC, serial clinical evaluation, establishment of a SC clinic and prompt referral are essential for patients needing supportive care.

Palliative care for people living with heart failure: European Association for Palliative Care Task Force expert position statement

Contrary to common perception, modern palliative care (PC) is applicable to all people with an incurable disease, not only cancer. PC is appropriate at every stage of disease progression, when PC needs emerge. These needs can be of physical, emotional, social, or spiritual nature. This document encourages the use of validated assessment tools to recognize such needs and ascertain efficacy of management. PC interventions should be provided alongside cardiologic management. Treating breathlessness is more effective, when cardiologic management is supported by PC interventions. Treating other symptoms like pain or depression requires predominantly PC interventions. Advance Care Planning aims to ensure that the future treatment and care the person receives is concordant with their personal values and goals, even after losing decision-making capacity. It should include also disease specific aspects, such as modification of implantable device activity at the end of life. The Whole Person Care concept describes the inseparability of the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the human being. Addressing psychological and spiritual needs, together with medical treatment, maintains personal integrity and promotes emotional healing. Most PC concerns can be addressed by the usual care team, supported by a PC specialist if needed. During dying, the persons’ needs may change dynamically and intensive PC is often required. Following the death of a person, bereavement services benefit loved ones. The authors conclude that the inclusion of PC within the regular clinical framework for people with heart failure results in a substantial improvement in quality of life as well as comfort and dignity whilst dying.

Using Heart Failure Instruments to Determine when to Refer Heart Failure Patients to Palliative Care

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) or the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) are associated with traditionally used scores for heart failure patients — specifically, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), an overall health visual analog scale (VAS), and the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM). Furthermore, we sought to determine whether the PPS or the ESAS provided additional information on quality of life, symptom severity, or prognosis above that provided by the traditional scores for patients with heart failure. Methods: We administered the ESAS, MLHFQ, VAS, PPS, and SHFM in a shuffled manner to 78 New York Heart Association Functional Classification (NYHA-FC) III-IV ambulatory heart failure patients. Pearson's r correlation was used to determine whether the scores from the ESAS and PPS correlated with the scores from the MLHFQ, VAS, and SHFM. Results: The sample was predominately male (62.8 percent), mean age 60.1 ± 13 years, with a diagnosis of idiopathic cardiomyopathy (45 percent). Moderate correlations were found between the ESAS and MLHFQ (r=0.483, p<0.01), the ESAS and VAS (r=-0.345, p<0.01), the PPS and MLHFQ (r=-0.54, p<0.01), and the PPS and VAS (r=0.53, p<0.01). There was no significant correlation between the PPS and SHFM. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that administration of the ESAS and PPS provides additional information on symptom severity and functional decline for patients with heart failure. Standardized administration of these scales may aid in the assessment and evaluation of heart failure patients.

Symptom burden in heart failure: assessment, impact on outcomes, and management

Evidence-based management has improved long-term survival in patients with heart failure (HF). However, an unintended consequence of increased longevity is that patients with HF are exposed to a greater symptom burden over time. In addition to classic symptoms such as dyspnea and edema, patients with HF frequently suffer additional symptoms such as pain, depression, gastrointestinal distress, and fatigue. In addition to obvious effects on quality of life, untreated symptoms increase clinical events including emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and long-term mortality in a dose-dependent fashion. Symptom management in patients with HF consists of two key components: comprehensive symptom assessment and sufficient knowledge of available approaches to alleviate the symptoms. Successful treatment addresses not just the physical but also the emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of suffering. Despite a lack of formal experience during cardiovascular training, symptom management in HF can be learned and implemented effectively by cardiology providers. Co-management with palliative medicine specialists can add significant value across the spectrum and throughout the course of HF.

A palliative approach for heart failure end-of-life care

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The current review discusses the integration of guideline and evidence-based palliative care into heart failure end-of-life (EOL) care.

RECENT FINDINGS

North American and European heart failure societies recommend the integration of palliative care into heart failure programs. Advance care planning, shared decision-making, routine measurement of symptoms and quality of life and specialist palliative care at heart failure EOL are identified as key components to an effective heart failure palliative care program. There is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of the individual elements. However, results from the palliative care in heart failure trial suggest an integrated heart failure palliative care program can significantly improve quality of life for heart failure patients at EOL.

SUMMARY

Integration of a palliative approach to heart failure EOL care helps to ensure patients receive the care that is congruent with their values, wishes and preferences. Specialist palliative care referrals are limited to those who are truly at heart failure EOL.

Measuring quality of life in advanced heart failure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Patients with Stage D heart failure can benefit from palliative care consultation to help them manage unpleasant symptoms and improve quality of life. Although guidelines describe how to manage symptoms, very little direction is provided on how to evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Numerous studies have used the measurement of symptoms, emotional distress, functional capacity and quality of life to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in heart failure. There is limited evidence on the use of these instruments in heart failure palliative care. Four studies were identified that evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care consultation for patients with advanced heart failure. All four studies measured symptom severity, emotional distress, and quality of life. The application of appropriate instruments is discussed. Suggestions for scores that should trigger palliative care consultation are identified.

SUMMARY

The routine administration of standardized instruments to measure symptom severity and quality of life may improve the assessment and management of patients with Stage D heart failure. Ongoing discussion and research is needed to determine if these instruments are the best tools to use with heart failure palliative care patients.

Feasibility and acceptability of a patient-reported outcome intervention in chronic heart failure

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have symptoms and concerns which are inadequately addressed. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can potentially improve the identification and management of advanced symptoms and palliative concerns. However, these have not been used in CHF.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the feasibility and acceptability of using a PROM-the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS)-together with heart failure nurse education and training to improve the identification and management of symptoms and concerns among patients with CHF.

METHODS

A parallel, mixed methods design with an embedded qualitative component was used to examine the feasibility of recruitment, retention, intervention adherence/compliance and follow-up assessment completion (symptom burden, quality of life, psychological well-being). Patient and nurse qualitative semistructured interviews explored intervention and study design feasibility and its acceptability.

RESULTS

Conversion to consent was 46.9% (372 screened, 81 approached, 38 recruited). 66% of patient participants completed the IPOS; 6% of IPOS questionnaire items were missing (non-response). Over two-thirds (65.6%) of these missing items related to three patients. No item was consistently missing; appetite was the most frequent missing item (1.4%). 92% of participants who completed the IPOS completed all follow-up assessments (1-2 days, 1-2 weeks and 4-6 weeks post-IPOS completion) with no missing data. The a priori feasibility objectives were met. Patients and nurses reported the intervention and study design feasible and acceptable.

CONCLUSIONS

A palliative-specific PROM-based intervention is feasible and acceptable to both patients with CHF and nurses in nurse-led disease management clinics for the purposes of both clinical care and research.

Patient-reported outcomes at hospital discharge from Heart Centres, a national cross-sectional survey with a register-based follow-up: the DenHeart study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Patient reported health status, which includes symptom burden, functional status and quality of life, is an important measure of health. Differences in health status between diagnostic groups within cardiology have only been sparsely investigated. These outcomes may predict morbidity, mortality, labour market affiliation and healthcare utilisation in various diagnostic groups. A national survey aiming to include all cardiac diagnostic groups from a total Heart Centre population has been designed as the DenHeart survey.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

DenHeart is designed as a cross-sectional survey with a register-based follow-up. All diagnostic groups at the five national Heart Centres are included during 1 year (15 April 2013 to 15 April 2014) and asked to fill out a questionnaire at hospital discharge. The total eligible population, both responders and non-responders, will be followed in national registers. The following instruments are used: SF-12, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EQ-5D, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), HeartQoL and Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. The following variables are collected from national registers: action diagnosis, procedures, comorbidity, length of hospital stay, type of hospitalisation, visits to general practitioners and other agents in primary healthcare, dispensed prescription medication, vital status and cause of death. Labour market affiliation, sick leave, early retirement pension, educational degree and income will be collected from registers. Frequency distributions and multiple logistic regression analyses will be used to describe and assess differences in patient reported outcomes at hospital discharge between diagnostic groups and in-hospital predicting factors. Cox proportional hazards regression models with age as the time scale will be used to investigate associations between patient reported outcomes at baseline and morbidity/mortality, labour market affiliation and healthcare utilisation after 1 year.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study has been approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency: 2007-58-0015/30-0937 and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01926145). Study findings will be disseminated widely through peer reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Early integration of palliative care in hospitals: A systematic review on methods, barriers, and outcome

Objective:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), palliative care (PC) should be available to everyone suffering from life-threatening diseases and should be started early on in the illness trajectory. However, PC is often initiated much later and is restricted to cancer patients. There is a need for more knowledge about how early PC can be implemented in clinical practice. The purpose of our study was to document the best evidence on methods for early identification (EI) of palliative trajectories in cancer, chronic heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) populations, and to identify preconditions for early integration of general PC in hospitals and outcomes for patients and relatives.

Method:

A comprehensive systematic review of methods, preconditions, and outcomes was conducted via an electronic literature search of publications between 2002 and September 2012. A final sample of 44 papers was reviewed in detail.

Results:

Our study identified disease-specific and general methods for EI of patients who might benefit from PC. Prognostication of end-stage disease based on (holistic) clinical judgment, prognostic factors, and/or care needs are the most frequently recommended methods. A number of interacting disease-, staff-, user-, and organization-specific barriers need to be overcome in order to implement early integration of PC in clinical practice. Early integration of PC may lead to better symptom management, prolonged survival, and better quality of life.

Significance of Results:

No methods can be recommended for routine clinical practice without further validation. There is an urgent need to develop and evaluate methods based on the holistic assessment of symptoms or needs. The barriers to early integration of PC are most extensive with regard to CHF and COPD. Professional training and education are recommended to facilitate early implementation of PC. The evidence about outcome is sparse and mostly relates to cancer populations receiving specialized PC.

Comparing unmet needs between community-based palliative care patients with heart failure and patients with cancer

BACKGROUND

As the role of palliative care (PC) has yet to be clearly defined in patients with heart failure (HF), such patients may face barriers regarding PC referral. In order to maximally meet the needs of HF patients, it is necessary to understand how they compare to the classic PC population: patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the unresolved symptom and treatment needs with which patients with HF and those with cancer present to PC.

METHODS

We used data from the Palliative Care Research Registry (PCRR), a repository of quality improvement data from three community-based PC organizations. We abstracted first PC visit data from the PCRR for patients with primary diagnoses of HF or cancer seen between 2008 and 2012. We assessed the association of primary diagnosis (i.e., HF or cancer) on three outcomes: unresolved symptoms, treatment gaps, and a composite indicator of symptom control and quality of life. Analyses included descriptive statistics and multivariate Poisson regression.

RESULTS

Our analytic sample comprised 334 patients with HF and 697 patients with cancer, the majority of whom were white and male. Compared to patients with cancer, patients with HF presented with fewer unresolved symptoms, both overall and at moderate/severe distress levels. Patients with HF more commonly reported moderately/severely distressful dyspnea (25% versus 18%, p=0.02), and more commonly experienced dyspnea-related treatment gaps (17% versus 8%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with HF possess care needs that are squarely within the purview of PC. Future work is needed to delineate how PC referral policies should be refined to optimize PC access for patients with HF.

The relationship between two performance scales: New York Heart Association Classification and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale

CONTEXT

Performance status is used to quantify the well-being and functional status of people with illness. Clinicians and researchers from differing fields may not instinctively understand the scales, typically disease specific, used in other disciplines.

OBJECTIVES

To provide a preliminary description of the relationship between the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) and the New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA) and to stimulate discussion in research and clinical practice.

METHODS

Simultaneous KPS and NYHA data (172 observations) from three studies of people with chronic heart failure were pooled. Linear regression was used to predict the mean KPS from NYHA. The strength of association between the scales was investigated using a Kendall's Tau-b correlation coefficient. The agreement between the predicted and observed KPS scores was investigated using weighted kappa with quadratic weights.

RESULTS

Linear regression demonstrated a relationship between KPS and NYHA (P < 0.0001; R(2) = 0.3). Predicted KPS from NYHA class rounded to the nearest 10 gave the following values: Class I, predicted KPS 90%; Class II, predicted KPS 80%; Class III, predicted KPS 70%; and Class IV, predicted KPS 60%. A moderate strength of association between KPS and NYHA (Kendall's Tau-b correlation coefficient of -0.49; P < 0.0001) and agreement between observed and predicted KPS (kappa coefficient = 0.52) was shown.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that the NYHA discriminates poorly between clinically important performance states in people with advanced disease (NYHA III and IV; KPS <50%). The KPS, used in conjunction, would provide useful additional information in research and clinical practice.

Facilitating needs-based support and palliative care for people with chronic heart failure: preliminary evidence for the acceptability, inter-rater reliability, and validity of a needs assessment tool

CONTEXT

Understanding the types and extent of need is critical to informing needs-based care for people with chronic heart failure (CHF).

OBJECTIVES

To explore the psychometric quality of a newly developed rapid screening measure to assess the supportive and palliative care needs of people with CHF.

METHODS

A convenience sample of multidisciplinary health professionals working in heart failure care was invited to comment, via an online survey and consultation, on suitability and required modifications to a validated cancer care needs assessment measure to inform the support and palliative care needs of patients with CHF and their caregivers. Psychometric testing was then undertaken with 52 patients with CHF recruited from a multidisciplinary heart failure service to explore inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the newly adapted Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease-Heart Failure (NAT: PD-HF).

RESULTS

Health professionals (n=21) rated the tool as easy to administer, comprehensive, and relevant for the CHF population. Prevalence- and bias-adjusted kappa values indicated good agreement between pairs of raters for each item in the NAT: PD-HF (range 0.54-0.90). Participants indicating a higher severity of concern in the NAT: PD-HF physical, daily living, and spiritual items reported significantly higher Heart Failure Needs Assessment Questionnaire physical and existential scores.

CONCLUSION

This study provides preliminary evidence for the NAT: PD-HF as a potential strategy for identifying and informing the management of physical and psychosocial issues experienced by people with CHF. Further work is needed to examine additional psychometrics, benefits relating to unnecessary symptom burden, futile treatments, and admissions to hospital.

Symptom burden in chronically ill homebound individuals

OBJECTIVES

To document the degree of symptom burden in an urban homebound population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

The Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors (MSVD) program.

PARTICIPANTS

All individuals newly enrolled in the MSVD.

MEASUREMENTS

Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), which consists of 10 visual analogue scales scored from 0 to 10; symptoms include pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, well-being, shortness of breath, and other.

RESULTS

ESAS scores were completed for 318 participants. Most participants were aged 80 and older (68%) and female (75%); 36% were white, 22% black, and 32% Hispanic. Forty-three percent had Medicaid, and 32% lived alone. Ninety-one percent required assistance with one or more activities of daily living, 45% had a Karnofsky Performance Scale score between 0 and 40 (unable to care for self), and 43% reported severe burden on one or more symptoms. The most commonly reported symptoms were loss of appetite, lack of well-being, tiredness, and pain; the symptoms with the highest scores were depression, pain, appetite, and shortness of breath. Participants were more likely to have severe symptom burden if they self-reported their ESAS, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes mellitus with end organ damage, or had a Charlson Comorbidity Index greater than 3 and less likely to have severe burden if they had dementia.

CONCLUSION

In chronically ill homebound adults, symptom burden is a serious problem that needs to be addressed alongside primary and specialty care needs.