Validation of a Supportive and Palliative Care Indicator Tool among hospitalized patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Palliative care including symptom alleviation and advance care planning is relevant for patients with heart failure (HF). The Supportive and Palliative Care Indicator Tool (SPICT) is a tool for identifying patients who may benefit from palliative care assistance but is not validated in patients hospitalized for HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Clinical backgrounds, symptom burdens, and outcomes were evaluated using SPICT assessed on admission in consecutive hospitalized patients with HF. SPICT positive was defined as two or more general indicators and a New York Heart Association ≥III were present. Of 601 hospitalized patients with HF (mean age: 79±12 years, male: 314 [52%], and mean left ventricular ejection fraction: 44±18%), 100 (17%) patients were SPICT-positive. SPICT-positive patients were older (85±9 vs. 78±12 years; P<0.001) with higher clinical frailty scale (6±1 vs. 4±1 points; P<0.001), while symptom burdens assessed by the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale were not different (17 [13, 28] vs. 20 [11, 26] points; P=0.97) when compared with SPICT-negative. During the median follow-up period of 518 days, 178 patients (30%) died. SPICT positive was independently associated with higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 3.49, 95% confidence interval: 2.41-5.05; P<0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, New York Heart Association class IV, Get-With-The-Guideline risk score, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide level, and left ventricular ejection fraction.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients admitted for HF, SPICT positive was significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality, suggesting the utility of SPICT as an indicator to initiate advance care planning for end-of-life care among hospitalized patients with HF.

Integration of palliative care across the spectrum of heart failure care and therapies: considerations, contemporary data, and challenges

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by significant symptoms, compromised quality of life, frequent hospital admissions, and high mortality, and is therefore well suited to palliative care (PC) intervention. This review elaborates the current PC needs of patients with HF across the spectrum of disease, including patients who undergo advanced HF surgical therapies, and reviews the current data and future directions for PC integration in HF care.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patients with chronic HF, as well as those who are being evaluated for or who have undergone advanced HF surgical therapies such as left ventricular assist device or heart transplantation, have a number of PC needs, including decision-making, symptoms and quality of life, caregiver support, and end-of-life care. Available data primarily supports the use of PC interventions in chronic HF to improve quality of life and symptoms. PC skills and teams may also help address preparedness planning, adverse events, and psychosocial barriers in patients who have had HF surgeries, but more data are needed to determine association with outcomes.

SUMMARY

Patients with HF have tremendous PC needs across the spectrum of disease. Despite this, more data are needed to determine the optimal timing and structure of PC interventions in patients with chronic HF, left ventricular assist device, and heart transplantation. Future steps must be taken in clinical, research, and policy domains in order to optimize care.

conTemporary reflectiOns regarding heart failure manaGEmenT - How to ovERcome the PorTuguese barriers (TOGETHER-PT)

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome that is a significant burden in hospitalisations, morbidity, and mortality. Although a significant effort has been made to better understand its consequences and current barriers in its management, there are still several gaps to address. The present work aimed to identify the views of a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals on HF awareness and literacy, diagnosis, treatment and organization of care, identifying current challenges and providing insights into the future.

METHODS

A steering committee was established, including members of the Heart Failure Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (GEIC-SPC), the Heart Failure Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (NEIC-SPMI) and the Cardiovascular Study Group (GEsDCard) of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF). This steering committee produced a 16-statement questionnaire regarding different HF domains that was answered to by a diversified group of 152 cardiologists, internists, general practitioners, and nurses with an interest or dedicated to HF using a five-level Likert scale. Full agreement was defined as ≥80% of level 5 (fully agree) responses.

RESULTS

Globally, consensus was achieved in all but one of the 16 statements. Full agreement was registered in seven statements, namely 3 of 4 statements for patient education and HF awareness and 2 in 4 statements of both HF diagnosis and healthcare organization, with proportions of fully agree responses ranging from 82.9% to 96.7%. None of the HF treatment statements registered full agreement but 3 of 4 achieved ≥80% of level 4 (agree) responses.

CONCLUSION

This document aims to be a call-to-action to improve HF patients' quality of life and prognosis, by promoting a change in HF care in Portugal.

Unmet needs in end-of-life care for heart failure patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate end-of-life (EoL) care for heart failure (HF) in Tuscany (Italy) from healthcare professionals' perspective and identify areas for intervention.

METHODS

All the directors of Cardiology units (n = 29) and palliative care (PC) units (n = 14) in Tuscany were surveyed on the practices of EoL care.

RESULTS

Forty-five percent of cardiologists reported that their hospital had some EoL care services for HF patients. However, 75% did not have a multidisciplinary team providing EoL care for HF patients. Sixty-four percent stated that <25% of patients who might benefit from PC did receive it, and 18% stated that no patient received PC. For most of PC specialists, HF patients accounted for <25% of their patients. PC specialists believed that patients with cancer diseases were much more likely to receive PC than HF patients at EoL, and 36% judged that almost no HF patients were timely referred to hospice care. The majority of PC specialists reported that almost no HF patient prepared advance healthcare directives, as opposite to 57% for cancer patients, suggesting poor understanding or acceptance of their terminal condition.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of HF patients in the EoL stage in Tuscany is often suboptimal. EoL care should be implemented to ensure an adequate quality of life to these patients.

Palliative Care Utilisation and Outcomes in Patients Admitted for Heart Failure in a Victorian Healthcare Service

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) has high mortality and healthcare utilisation. It has a complex and unpredictable trajectory, which is often interpreted as a barrier to guideline recommended early integration of palliative care (PC). In particular, lack of referral criteria and misconceptions around PC affect inpatient specialist PC referrals.

AIMS

The main objective was to characterise the pattern and predictors of referral of HF patients to the specialist inpatient PC consultative service at our healthcare service.

METHODS

A retrospective, single-centre cohort study was performed on consecutive patients admitted across the hospital with HF over a 12-month period (July 2019-June 2020). Mortality data were checked against state death registry data.

RESULTS

The 502 patients admitted for HF were elderly (mean age 78±14 years), had high dependency (54% Australian-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS) 50-70, 29% AKPS 10-40), and high mortality (53% within median 32 months at death registry data linkage). Seven per cent (7%) were referred to inpatient specialist PC. AKPS 10-40 (62% of those referred vs 26% not referred, p<0.01), reliance on carers (65% vs 36%, p<0.01), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV symptoms (86% vs 42%, p<0.01) were associated with referral, but two or more admissions in the last 12 months for HF were not (16% vs 10%, p=0.21). Many PC domains, such as symptom burden, distress, and preferred care, were not adequately assessed.

CONCLUSIONS

Referral to inpatient specialist PC in hospitalised HF patients is low relative to the morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Hospital admissions in the last year of life of patients with heart failure

AIM

To explore the frequency, causes, and pattern of hospitalisation for patients with chronic heart failure (HF) in the 12 months preceding death. We also investigated cause of death.

METHODS

Patients referred to a secondary care HF clinic were routinely consented for follow-up between 2001 and 2020 and classified into three phenotypes: (i) HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), (ii) HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) 125-399 ng L-1, and (iii) HFpEF with NT-proBNP ≥400 ng L-1. Hospital admissions in the last year of life were classified as: HF, other cardiovascular (CV), or non-cardiovascular (non-CV). The cause of death was systematically adjudicated.

RESULTS

A total of 4925 patients (38% women; median age at death 81 [75-87] years) had 9127 hospitalisations in the last year of life. The median number of hospitalisations was 2 (1-3) and total days spent in hospital was 12 (2-25). Out of the total, 83% of patients had ≥1 hospitalisation but only 20% had ≥1 HF hospitalisation; 24% had ≥1 CV hospitalisation; 70% had ≥1 non-CV hospitalisation. Heart failure hospitalisations were most common in patients with HFrEF, but in all groups, at least two thirds of admissions were for non-CV causes. There were 788 (16%) deaths due to progressive HF, of which 74% occurred in hospital.

CONCLUSION

For patients with chronic HF in the last year of life, most hospitalisations were for non-CV causes regardless of HF phenotype. Most patients had no HF hospitalisations in their last year of life. Most deaths were from causes other than progressive HF.

Palliative Care Across the Spectrum of Heart Failure

Persons with heart failure (HF) often suffer from poor symptom control, decreased quality of life, and poor communication with their health care providers. These needs are particularly acute in advanced HF, a leading cause of death in the United States. Palliative care, when offered alongside HF disease management, offers improved symptom control, quality of life, communication, and caregiver satisfaction as well as reduced caregiver anxiety. The dynamic nature of the clinical trajectory of HF presents distinct symptom patterns, changing functional status, and uncertainty, which requires an adaptive, dynamic model of palliative care delivery. Due to a limited specialty-trained palliative care workforce, patients and their caregivers often cannot access these benefits, especially in the community. To meet these needs, new models are required that are better informed by high-quality data, engage a range of health care providers in primary palliative care principles, and have clear triggers for specialty palliative care engagement, with specific palliative interventions tailored to patient's illness trajectory and changing needs.

Advanced heart failure: parenteral diuretics for breathlessness and peripheral oedema - systematic review

BACKGROUND

Advanced heart failure patients suffer with breathlessness and peripheral oedema, which are frequently treated with parenteral diuretics despite limited evidence.

AIM

To analyse the effectiveness of parenteral diuretics on breathlessness and peripheral oedema in advanced heart failure patients.

METHODS

We searched Embase, MEDLINE(R), PsycINFO, CINAHL and CENTRAL from their respective inceptions to 2021, and performed handsearching, citation searching and grey literature search; limited to English publications. Selection criteria included parenteral (intravenous/subcutaneous) diuretic administration in advanced heart failure patients (New York Heart Association class III-IV). Two authors independently assessed articles for inclusion; one author extracted data. Data were synthesised through narrative synthesis or meta-analysed as appropriate.

RESULTS

4646 records were screened; 6 trials (384 participants) were included. All were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing intravenous continuous furosemide infusion (CFI) versus intravenous bolus furosemide infusion (BFI). Improvement in breathlessness and peripheral oedema (two studies, n=161, OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.45 to 5.40; I2=0%), and increase in urine output (four studies, n=234, mean difference, MD 344.76, 95% CI 132.87 to 556.64; I2=44%), were statistically significant in favour of CFI. Significantly lower serum potassium was found in BFI compared with CFI (three studies, n=194, MD -0.20, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.01; I2=0%). There was no difference between CFI and BFI on reduction in weight, renal function or length of hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

CFI appears to improve congestion in advanced heart failure patients in the short term. Available data came from small trials. Larger, prospective RCTs are recommended to address the evidence gap.

Effectiveness and safety of morphine administration for refractory dyspnoea among hospitalised patients with advanced heart failure: the Morphine-HF study

OBJECTIVES

Morphine is effective in alleviating dyspnoea in patients with cancer. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of morphine administration for refractory dyspnoea in patients with advanced heart failure (HF).

METHODS

We conducted a multicentre, prospective, observational study of hospitalised patients with advanced HF in whom morphine was administered for refractory dyspnoea. Morphine effectiveness was evaluated by dyspnoea intensity changes, assessed regularly by both a quantitative subjective scale (Visual Analogue Scale (VAS; graded from 0 to 100 mm)) and an objective scale (Support Team Assessment Schedule-Japanese (STAS-J; graded from 0 to 4 points)). Safety was assessed by vital sign changes and new-onset severe adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, constipation and delirium based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

RESULTS

From 15 Japanese institutions between September 2020 and August 2022, we included 28 hospitalised patients with advanced HF in whom morphine was administered (mean age: 83.8±8.7 years, male: 15 (54%), New York Heart Association class IV: 26 (93%) and mean left ventricular ejection fraction: 38%±19%). Both VAS and STAS-J significantly improved from baseline to day 1 (VAS: 67±26 to 50±31 mm; p=0.02 and STAS-J: 3.3±0.8 to 2.6±1.1 points; p=0.006, respectively), and thereafter the improvements sustained through to day 7. After morphine administration, vital signs including blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation did not change, and no new-onset severe adverse events occurred through to day 7.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested acceptable effectiveness and safety for morphine administration in treating refractory dyspnoea in hospitalised patients with advanced HF.

Heart failure symptom burden in outpatient cardiology: observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To assess the self-reported symptom burden in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure attending an outpatient cardiology clinic through the utilisation of validated patient-reported outcome measures.

METHODS

Eligible patients were invited to partake in this observational cohort study. Participant demographics and comorbidities were recorded, followed by participants recording their symptoms using the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) outcome measure tools.

RESULTS

A total of 22 patients were included in the study. The majority were male (n=15). The median age was 74.5 (range 55-94) years. Atrial fibrillation and hypertension were the most common comorbidities (n=10). Dyspnoea, weakness and poor mobility were the most prevalent symptoms, affecting 15 (68%) of the 22 patients. Dyspnoea was reported as being the most troublesome symptom. The BPI was completed by 68% (n=15) of the study participants. Median average pain score was 5/10; median worst pain score in the preceding 24 hours was 6/10 and median pain score at time of BPI completion was 3/10. The impact of pain on daily living during the preceding 24 hours ranged from impacting on all activities (n=7) to not impacting on activities (n=1).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with heart failure experience a range of symptoms that vary in severity. Introduction of a symptom assessment tool in the cardiology outpatient setting could help identify patients with a high symptom burden and prompt timely referral to specialist palliative care services.

Consensus document on palliative care in cardiorenal patients

There is an unmet need to create consensus documents on the management of cardiorenal patients since, due to the aging of the population and the rise of both pathologies, these patients are becoming more prevalent in daily clinical practice. Chronic kidney disease coexists in up to 40%-50% of patients with chronic heart failure cases. There have yet to be consensus documents on how to approach palliative care in cardiorenal patients. There are guidelines for patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease separately, but they do not specifically address patients with concomitant heart failure and kidney disease. For this reason, our document includes experts from different specialties, who will not only address the justification of palliative care in cardiorenal patients but also how to identify this patient profile, the shared planning of their care, as well as knowledge of their trajectory and the palliative patient management both in the drugs that will help us control symptoms and in advanced measures. Dialysis and its different types will also be addressed, as palliative measures and when the decision to continue or not perform them could be considered. Finally, the psychosocial approach and adapted pharmacotherapy will be discussed.

The impact of palliative care on the physical and mental status and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is the terminal stage of several diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of palliative care on the physical and mental status and quality of life of patients with CHF.

METHODS

This single-center randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at Xiangtan Central Hospital. A total of 103 cases were included and divided into a study group (n = 54) and a control group (n = 49). The control group received usual care, whereas the study group received usual care plus palliative care. Statistical analyses were conducted on Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, negative emotions, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores, and nursing satisfaction before and after intervention in the 2 groups.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the positive coping style score in the research group was higher than that in the control group, while the negative coping style score was lower than that of the control group (P < .05). After the intervention, the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-II scores of the 2 groups decreased compared to before the intervention, and the study group had lower scores than the control group (P < .05). After the intervention, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores of the 2 groups decreased compared to those before the intervention, and the study group had lower scores than the control group (P < .05). Nursing satisfaction of the research group (94.44%) was higher than that of the control group (81.63%) (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Adopting palliative care to intervene in CHF patients can effectively regulate their physical and mental state, alleviate negative emotions, transform coping styles towards the disease, and improve their quality of life, with high patient satisfaction.

Profiles of patients referred to specialized palliative care from the cardiology department at a university hospital: an 11-year longitudinal retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Although the majority of patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have a significant symptom burden and progressive course towards the end of life, only a small proportion of patients currently receive palliative care. The current referral practices to palliative care from the cardiology department need to be scrutinized. The current study aimed to examine: 1) the clinical profile; 2) time between referral to palliative care and death; and 3) place of death for CVD patients who were referred to palliative care from a cardiology department.

METHODS

This retrospective descriptive study included all patients who were referred to the mobile palliative care team from the cardiology unit in the University Hospital of Besançon in France between January 2010 and December 2020. Information was extracted from the medical hospital files.

RESULTS

A total of 142 patients were included, of whom 135 (95%) died. The mean age at the time of death was 76±14 years. The median time between referral to palliative care and death was 9 days. Most patients had chronic heart failure (54%). A total of 17 patients (13%) died at home.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that referral of patients to palliative care from the cardiology department is suboptimal and a large proportion of patients die in the hospital setting. Further prospective studies are warranted to investigate whether these dispositions correspond to patients' wishes and end-of-life care needs, and should investigate how the integration of palliative care into the care of cardiovascular patients can be improved.

The Mediator Role of Meaning in Life in the Life Quality of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

PURPOSE

Heart failure (HF) is a highly recurrent disease with a high sudden death rate and a substantial influence on disease-related quality of life (QOL). Social support, symptom distress, care needs, and meaning in life all have significant impacts on QOL. We hypothesized that meaning in life plays a mediating role in the relationship of social support, symptom distress, and care needs with QOL among patients with chronic HF.

METHODS

Based on cross-sectional analysis, we recruited 186 HF outpatients who completed structured questionnaires for social support, symptom distress, care needs, meaning in life, and QOL. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating role of meaning in life in the relationship of social support, symptom distress, and care needs with QOL.

RESULTS

The final model showed good model fit. Meaning in life was associated with global QOL (β = 0.18, p = .032). Although symptom distress (β = -0.26, p = .005) and care needs (β = -0.36, p = .021) were negatively associated with global QOL, meaning in life played a partial mediating role between symptom distress and global QOL (β = -0.02, p = .023) and between care needs and global QOL (β = -0.07, p = .030). However, meaning in life played a complete mediating role between social support and global QOL (β = 0.08, p = .047). The model showed that meaning in life, symptom distress, and care needs explained 50% of global QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with chronic HF, meaning in life played a mediating role in the relationship of social support, symptom distress, and care needs with QOL. Implementing an intervention to enrich meaning in life may help patients manage the issues caused by symptoms and alleviate their unmet needs.

Detailed Assessment of the "I Need Help" Criteria in Patients With Heart Failure: Insights From the HELP-HF Registry

BACKGROUND

The "I Need Help" markers have been proposed to identify patients with advanced heart failure (HF). We evaluated the prognostic impact of these markers on clinical outcomes in a real-world, contemporary, multicenter HF population.

METHODS

We included consecutive patients with HF and at least 1 high-risk "I Need Help" marker from 4 centers. The impact of the cumulative number of "I Need Help" criteria and that of each individual "I Need Help" criterion was evaluated. The primary end point was the composite of all-cause mortality or first HF hospitalization.

RESULTS

Among 1149 patients enrolled, the majority had 2 (30.9%) or 3 (22.6%) "I Need Help" criteria. A higher cumulative number of "I Need Help" criteria was independently associated with a higher risk of the primary end point (adjusted hazard ratio for each criterion increase, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.11-1.27]; P<0.001), and patients with >5 criteria had the worst prognosis. Need of inotropes, persistently high New York Heart Association classes III and IV or natriuretic peptides, end-organ dysfunction, >1 HF hospitalization in the last year, persisting fluid overload or escalating diuretics, and low blood pressure were the individual criteria independently associated with a higher risk of the primary end point.

CONCLUSIONS

In our HF population, a higher number of "I Need Help" criteria was associated with a worse prognosis. The individual criteria with an independent impact on mortality or HF hospitalization were need of inotropes, New York Heart Association class or natriuretic peptides, end-organ dysfunction, multiple HF hospitalizations, persisting edema or escalating diuretics, and low blood pressure.

Nurses' perceptions of the challenges involved in providing of end-of-life care to people with heart failure: a context-based study

BACKGROUND

High quality end-of-life care is essential. Yet for those experiencing heart failure, the provision of high-quality end- of -life care can be challenging. The aim of this study was to explore Iranian nurses' perceptions of the challenges involved in providing of end-of-life care to people with heart failure.

METHODS

Conventional content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data collected from nurses (n = 33) using semi-structured and individual interviews. Participants were aged between 29 and 51 years. The majority of participants were women (n = 20). Most had a bachelor's degree (n = 24), and work experience of between 7 and 18 years.

RESULTS

Nurses challenges in providing end-of-life care to those with heart failure included (1) adverse consequences relating to compassion fatigue and continued futility in care and (2) lack of palliative care services with regards to a lack of specialists, lack of support from health systems, and poor teamwork.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first qualitative study to explore Iranian nurses' challenges in providing end-of-life care to those with heart failure. Investment is required in education and research in this area. Particular attention must be paid to prevention of compassion fatigue. Law changes would enable the delivery of higher-quality palliative care in this context overall.

Palliative Care for the Elderly With Heart Diseases in Tertiary Health care: A Concept Analysis

BACKGROUND

The increasing incidence of heart failure (HF) in the elderly leads to increased mortality, hospitalization, length of hospital stay, and health care costs. Older adults often face multiple drug treatments, comorbidities, frailty, and cognitive problems, which require early palliative care. However, these patients do not receive adequate palliative care.

OBJECTIVE

This concept analysis aimed to develop an in-depth understanding of palliative care for elderly patients with cardiac diseases in tertiary care.

DESIGN

The analysis was guided by Walker and Avant's method, and databases were searched using keywords, such as palliative care, tertiary care, elderly, and heart. Covidence was used to review the results using the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The World Health Organisation's definition of palliative care is widely accepted. Palliative care for older adults with heart disease in tertiary care is preceded by chronic illness, polypharmacy, symptom burden, physical and cognitive decline, comorbidities, and psychosocial/spiritual issues. The main attributes of palliative care for this population include health care professionals and patient education, holistic patient/family-centered care, symptom management, shared decision-making, early integration, advanced care planning, and a multidisciplinary approach. Palliative care improves elderly cardiac patients' and their family satisfaction while reducing readmission, hospital stays, and unnecessary invasive procedures.

CONCLUSION

Collaboration between hospitals, community organizations, transitional palliative care services, and research has the potential to improve early palliative care and the well-being of the elderly cardiac population. Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) competencies play a crucial role in promoting palliative care in the elderly HF population.

Referral Criteria to Specialist Palliative Care for People with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

People with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have significant morbidity, yet for many, access to palliative care occurs late, if at all.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to examine criteria for referral to specialist palliative care for adults with advanced CKD with a view to improving use of these essential services.

METHODS

Systematic review of studies detailing referral criteria to palliative care in advanced CKD conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guideline and registered (PROSPERO: CRD42021230751).

DATA SOURCES

Electronic databases (Ovid, MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and PubMed) were used to identify potential studies, which were subjected to double review, data extraction, thematic coding, and descriptive analyses.

RESULTS

Searches yielded 650 unique titles ultimately resulting in 56 studies addressing referral criteria to specialist palliative care in advanced CKD. Of 10 categories of referral criteria, most commonly discussed were: Critical times of treatment decision making (n = 23, 41%); physical or emotional symptoms (n = 22, 39%); limited prognosis (n = 18, 32%); patient age and comorbidities (n = 18, 32%); category of CKD/ biochemical criteria (n = 13, 23%); functional decline (n = 13, 23); psychosocial needs (n = 9, 16%); future care planning (n = 9, 16%); anticipated decline in illness course (n = 8, 14%); and hospital use (n = 8, 14%).

CONCLUSION

Clinicians consider referral to specialist palliative care for a wide range of reasons, with many related to care needs. As palliative care continues to integrate with nephrology, our findings represent a key step towards developing consensus criteria to standardize referral for patients with chronic kidney diseases.

The effects of palliative care on patients with different classes heart function: A pilot study

The aim of this study was to explore effects of palliative care (PC) on patients with different heart function. Patients with NYHA (New York Heart Association) class II, III, IV were divided into separate groups. The KCCQ (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) and HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) scores were compared before and 3 months after PC intervention. After 3 months, compared with the control group, PC could further significantly improve the KCCQ, HADS-depression and -anxiety scores of patients in NYHA class IV (P < 0.05); PC could significantly improve the HADS-depression and -anxiety scores of patients with NYHA class III (P < 0.05), and had an improvement tendency on KCCQ score. The study revealed that PC can significantly improve anxiety and depression of patients with NYHA class III or IV, and significantly improve the quality of life of patients with NYHA class IV, but had no effects on patients with NYHA class II.

Palliative care in heart failure guidelines: A comparison of the 2021 ESC and the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guidelines on heart failure

The role of palliative care for patients with heart failure (HF) is discussed in both most recent HF guidelines, the 2021 ESC guideline and the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline. This review compares the definitions, concepts and specific recommendations regarding palliative care for patients with HF in these two guidelines. Both HF guidelines define palliative care as a multidisciplinary approach aimed at alleviating physical, psychological and spiritual distress of patients and caregivers. Both agree emphatically on the importance of palliative care across all stages of HF with integration early in the illness trajectory. Also, the guidelines concur that palliative care should include symptom management, communication about prognosis and life-sustaining therapies, as well as advance care planning. Despite this consensus, only the AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline gives official recommendations on the provision of palliative care. Moreover, the AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline advocates for a needs-based approach to palliative care allocation while the ESC guideline ties palliative care closely to advanced HF and end-of-life care. The ESC guideline highlights the need for regular symptom assessment and provides detailed guidance on symptom management. The AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline elaborates further on shared decision-making, caregiver and bereavement support, as well as hospice care, and distinguishes between primary palliative care (provided by all clinicians) and secondary (specialty-level) palliative care. Although there is strong agreement on the importance and components of palliative care for patients with HF, there are nuanced differences between the two HF guidelines. Most notably, only the AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline issues recommendations for the provision of palliative care.

Impact of a financial incentive scheme for team-based palliative care in patients with heart failure in Japan: A nationwide database study

BACKGROUND

Palliative care provided to patients with heart failure (HF) are reported to be inadequate. Herein, we examined the impact of the recently introduced financial incentive scheme for team-based palliative care for patients with HF in acute care hospitals in Japan.

METHODS

Using a nationwide inpatient database, we identified patients aged ≥65 years with HF who had died between April 2015 and March 2021. Interrupted time-series analyses were used to compare practice patterns in end-of-life care (symptom management and invasive medical procedures within one week before death) before and after the financial incentive scheme issuance in April 2018.

RESULTS

Overall, 53,857 patients in 835 hospitals were eligible. The adoption of the financial incentive was 1.10 to 1.22% after the introduction. There were upward pre-trends in opioid use (+0.11% per month; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.15) and antidepressant use (+0.06% per month; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.09). Opioid use showed a downward slope change during the post-period (-0.07% change in trend; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.01). Intensive care unit stay showed a downward pre-trend (-0.09% per month; 95% CI, -0.14 to -0.04) and upward slope changes during the post-period (+0.12% change in trend; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.19). Invasive mechanical ventilation showed downward slope changes during the post-period (-0.11% change in trend; 95% CI, -0.18 to -0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The financial incentive scheme for team-based palliative care was rarely adopted and not associated with changes in end-of-life care. Further multifaceted strategies to promote palliative care for HF are warranted.

The experiences of patients with advanced heart failure, family carers, and health professionals with palliative care services: a secondary reflexive thematic analysis of longitudinal interview data

BACKGROUND

Patients with heart failure have significant palliative care needs, but few are offered palliative care. Understanding the experiences of delivering and receiving palliative care from different perspectives can provide insight into the mechanisms of successful palliative care integration. There is limited research that explores multi-perspective and longitudinal experiences with palliative care provision. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal experiences of patients with heart failure, family carers, and health professionals with palliative care services.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of 20 qualitative three-month apart interviews with patients with heart failure and family carers recruited from three community palliative care services in the UK. In addition, four group interviews with health professionals from four different services were analysed. Data were analysed using 'reflexive thematic' analysis. Results were explored through the lens of Normalisation Process Theory.

RESULTS

Four themes were generated: Impact of heart failure, Coping and support, Recognising palliative phase, and Coordination of care. The impact of heart failure on patients and families was evident in several dimensions: physical, psychological, social, and financial. Patients developed different coping strategies and received most support from their families. Although health professionals endeavoured to support the patients and families, this was sometimes lacking. Health professionals found it difficult to recognise the palliative phase and when to initiate palliative care conversations. In turn, patients and family carers asked for better communication, collaboration, and care coordination along the whole disease trajectory.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provided broad insight into the experiences of patients, family carers, and health professionals with palliative care. It showed the impact of heart failure on patients and their families, how they cope, and how they could be supported to address their palliative care needs. The study findings can help researchers and healthcare professionals to design palliative care interventions focusing on the perceived care needs of patients and families.

European Respiratory Society clinical practice guideline: palliative care for people with COPD or interstitial lung disease

There is increased awareness of palliative care needs in people with COPD or interstitial lung disease (ILD). This European Respiratory Society (ERS) task force aimed to provide recommendations for initiation and integration of palliative care into the respiratory care of adult people with COPD or ILD. The ERS task force consisted of 20 members, including representatives of people with COPD or ILD and informal caregivers. Eight questions were formulated, four in the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome format. These were addressed with full systematic reviews and application of Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation for assessing the evidence. Four additional questions were addressed narratively. An "evidence-to-decision" framework was used to formulate recommendations. The following definition of palliative care for people with COPD or ILD was agreed. A holistic and multidisciplinary person-centred approach aiming to control symptoms and improve quality of life of people with serious health-related suffering because of COPD or ILD, and to support their informal caregivers. Recommendations were made regarding people with COPD or ILD and their informal caregivers: to consider palliative care when physical, psychological, social or existential needs are identified through holistic needs assessment; to offer palliative care interventions, including support for informal caregivers, in accordance with such needs; to offer advance care planning in accordance with preferences; and to integrate palliative care into routine COPD and ILD care. Recommendations should be reconsidered as new evidence becomes available.

Building a Cardiac Palliative Care Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Ten Program Leaders From Across the United States

CONTEXT

Palliative care is guideline-recommended for patients with advanced heart failure (HF). However, studies on how cardiac palliative care is provided in the United States are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To study how cardiac palliative care programs provide services, and to identify challenges and facilitators they encountered in program development.

METHODS

In this qualitative descriptive study, we used purposive and snowball sampling approaches to identify cardiac palliative care program leaders across the United States, administered a survey and conducted semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were coded and evaluated using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

While cardiac palliative care programs vary in their organizational setup, they all provide comprehensive interdisciplinary palliative care services, ideally across the care continuum. They predominantly serve HF patients who are evaluated for advanced therapies or have complex needs. The challenges which cardiac palliative care programs face include reaching those cardiac patients who need palliative care the most and collaborating with cardiologists who do not see value added from palliative care for their patients. Facilitators of cardiac palliative care program development include building personal relationships with cardiology providers, proactively assessing local institution needs, and tailoring palliative care services to meet patient and provider needs.

CONCLUSION

Cardiac palliative care programs vary in their organizational setup but provide similar services and face similar challenges. The challenges and facilitators we identified can inform the development of future cardiac palliative care programs.

Alternatives to Hospitalization: Adding the Patient Voice to Advanced Heart Failure Management

Advanced heart failure (HF) is associated with the extensive use of acute care services, especially at the end of life, often in stark contrast to the wishes of most HF patients to remain at home for as long as possible. The current Canadian model of hospital-centric care is not only inconsistent with patient goals, but also unsustainable in the setting of the current hospital-bed availability crisis across the country. Given this context, we present a narrative to discuss factors necessary for the avoidance of hospitalization in advanced HF patients. First, patients eligible for alternatives to hospitalization should be identified through comprehensive, values-based, goals-of-care discussions, including involvement of both patients and caregivers, and assessment of caregiver burnout. Second, we present pharmaceutical interventions that have shown promise in reducing HF hospitalizations. Such interventions include strategies to combat diuretic resistance, as well as nondiuretic treatments of dyspnea, and the continuation of guideline-directed medical therapies. Finally, to successfully care for advanced HF patients at home, care models, such as transitional care, telehealth, collaborative home-based palliative care programs, and home hospitals, must be robust. Care must be individualized and coordinated through an integrated care model, such as the spoke-hub-and-node model. Although barriers exist to the implementation of these models and strategies, they should not prevent clinicians from striving to provide individualized person-centred care. Doing so will not only alleviate strain on the healthcare system, but also prioritize patient goals, which is of the utmost importance.

Health care providers' perspectives on providing end-of-life psychiatric care in cardiology and oncology hospitals: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND

Psychological distress is a major concern for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). However, psychiatric care for patients with HF is not as organized as that for patients with cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate and compare the barriers faced by health care providers of cardiology and oncology hospitals in providing end-of-life psychiatric care to patients with HF and cancer, respectively.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey among the health care providers of Japan. Questionnaires were mailed to physicians and nurses of 427 cardiology and 347 oncology hospitals in March 2018 to assess health care providers' perspectives. First, we compared the scores of the Palliative Care Difficulties Scale and the original scale of end-of-life psychiatric care difficulties between health care providers of cardiology and oncology hospitals. Second, we asked the health care providers to describe the barriers to providing end-of-life psychiatric care with an open-ended question and then compared the freely-provided descriptions using content analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 213 cardiology and 224 oncology health care providers responded to the questionnaire. No significant differences were found between health care providers of cardiology and oncology hospitals in the frequency of experiencing barriers to providing end-of-life psychiatric care (59.8% and 62.2%, respectively). A content analysis identified the following eight barriers: "patients' personal problems," "family members' problems," "professionals' personal problems," "communication problems between professionals and patients," "problems specific to end-of-life care," "problems specific to psychiatric care," "problems of institution or system," and "problems specific to non-cancer patients." The "problems specific to noncancer patients" was described more frequently by health care providers in cardiology hospitals than that in oncology hospitals. However, there were no significant differences in other items between the two.

CONCLUSION

Although health care providers of both cardiology and oncology hospitals faced barriers to providing end-of-life psychiatric care, those of cardiology hospitals particularly faced challenges pertaining to non-cancer patients, such as unpredictability of prognosis or insufficiency of guideline development. A system of psychiatric care, specifically for patients with HF, should be established.

Feasibility of a Palliative Care Intervention within Routine Care of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) are at risk for poor quality of life (QoL) and high symptom burden, coupled with limited treatment options. Palliative care (PC) can play an important role in reducing the suffering of this population, but remains underutilized. Aim: To demonstrate feasibility of an outpatient PC intervention within HCC care. Methods: This is a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted at an academic center. All stages of HCC patients (except Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage D) with a scheduled hepatology appointment were eligible. Patients were randomized to receive PC intervention or usual care (control arm). In the PC arm, patients received PC from a PC provider at enrollment and at three months from the baseline visit, in addition to continued standard of care. Control arm received only standard care. All patients completed FACT-Hep (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary Cancer) and modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale at baseline and at three-month visit. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize questionnaires, and change in QoL and symptoms from baseline to three months were compared between the two study groups. Results: Of the 109 approached, 57 patients (52.3%) consented to enroll, and 52 (91%) completed the study. QoL and symptom burden assessments demonstrated impaired QoL and high symptom burden in both arms of the study. At least 50% of enrolled patients in each arm had some degree of fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and appetite loss, at baseline. Post-intervention, symptom burden and QoL improved in the intervention arm and remained same or worsened in the control group. All FACT-Hep scores decreased numerically among controls and increased numerically among patients in the PC intervention group. Conclusion: Outpatient PC intervention within routine HCC care is feasible, and can potentially improve QoL and symptoms.

Using Latent Class Analysis to Identify Different Clinical Profiles Among Patients With Advanced Heart Failure

Context

Although palliative care is guideline-indicated for patients with advanced heart failure (HF), the scarcity of a specialty-trained palliative care workforce demands better identification of patients who are most burdened by the disease.

Objectives

We sought to identify latent subgroups with variations regarding symptom burden, functional status, and multimorbidity in an advanced HF population.

Methods

We performed a latent class analysis (LCA) of baseline data from a trial enrolling advanced HF patients. As LCA input variables, we chose indicators of HF severity, physical and psychological symptom burden, functional status, and the number of comorbidities.

Results

Among 563 patients, two subgroups emerged from LCA, Class A (352 [62.5%]) and Class B (211 [37.5%]). Patients in Class A were less often classified as NYHA class III or IV (88.0% vs. 97.5%, P < 0.001), as compared to Class B patients. Class A patients had fewer symptoms, fewer comorbidities, only 25.9% had impairments in activities of daily living (ADL), and virtually none suffered from clinically significant anxiety (0.4%) or depression (0.9%). In Class B, every patient reported more than three symptoms, almost all patients (92.6%) had some impairment in ADL, and nearly a third had anxiety (30.2%) or depression (28.3%). All-cause mortality after 12 months was higher in Class B, as compared to Class A (18.5% vs. 12.5%, P = 0.047).

Conclusion

Among advanced HF patients, we identified a distinct subgroup characterized by a conjunction of high symptom burden, anxiety, depression, multimorbidity, and functional status impairment, which might profit particularly from palliative care interventions. J Pain Symptom Manage 2022;000:1-9.

Palliative Care Needs of Physically Frail Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Heart Failure

CONTEXT

Physical frailty is emerging as a potential "trigger" for palliative care (PC) consultation, but the PC needs of physically frail persons with heart failure (HF) in the outpatient setting have not been well described.

OBJECTIVES

This study describes the PC needs of community dwelling, physically frail persons with HF.

METHODS

We included persons with HF ≥50 years old who experienced ≥1 hospitalization in the prior year and excluded those with moderate/severe cognitive impairment, hospice patients, or non-English speaking persons. Measures included the FRAIL scale (0-5: 0 = robust, 1-2 = prefrail, 3-5 = frail) and the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS) (17 items, score 0-68; higher score = higher PC needs). Multiple linear regression tested the association between frailty group and palliative care needs.

RESULTS

Participants (N = 286) had a mean age of 68 (range 50-92) were majority male (63%) and White (68%) and averaged two hospitalizations annually. Most were physically frail (44%) or prefrail (41%). Mean PC needs (IPOS) score was 19.7 (range 0-58). On average, participants reported 5.86 (SD 4.28) PC needs affecting them moderately, severely, or overwhelmingly in the last week. Patient-perceived family/friend anxiety (58%) weakness/lack of energy (58%), and shortness of breath (47%) were the most prevalent needs. Frail participants had higher mean PC needs score (26) than prefrail (16, P < 0.001) or robust participants (11, P < 0.001). Frail participants experienced an average of 8.32 (SD 3.72) moderate/severe/overwhelming needs compared to prefrail (4.56, SD 3.77) and robust (2.39, SD 2.91) participants (P < 0.001). Frail participants reported higher prevalence of weakness/lack of energy (83%), shortness of breath (66%), and family/friend anxiety (69%) than prefrail (48%, 39%, 54%) or robust (13%, 14%, 35%) participants (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Physically frail people with HF have higher unmet PC needs than those who are nonfrail. Implementing PC needs and frailty assessments may help identify vulnerable patients with unmet needs requiring further assessment and follow-up.

Palliative care and end of life management in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease with an unknown etiology that causes deterioration of the structure of the lung parenchyma, resulting in a severe and progressive decline in respiratory function and early mortality. IPF is essentially an incurable disease, with a mean overall survival of 5 years in approximately 20% of patients without treatment. The combination of a poor prognosis, uncertainty about the disease's progression, and the severity of symptoms has a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their families. New antifibrotic drugs have been shown to slow disease progression, but their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has to be proven yet. To date, studies have shown that palliative care can improve symptom management, HRQoL, and end-of-life care (EoL) in patients with IPF, reducing critical events, hospitalization, and health costs. As a result, it is essential for proper health planning and patient management to establish palliative care early and in conjunction with other therapies, beginning with the initial diagnosis of the disease.

Hospitalisations for heart failure: increased palliative care referrals - a veterans affairs hospital initiative

OBJECTIVES

Heart failure (HF) portends significant morbidity and mortality. Integrating palliative care (PC) with HF management improves quality of life and preparedness planning. At a Veterans Affairs hospital, PC was used in 6.5% of patients admitted for HF from October 2019 to September 2020. We sought to increase the percentage of referrals to PC to 20%.

METHODS

PC referral guidelines were developed and used to screen all HF admissions between October 2020 and May 2021. Point-of-care education on the benefits of PC was delivered to teams caring for patients who met PC referral criteria. Changes were tested using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Results were analysed using run charts.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were 109 HF admissions in patients who were not already followed by PC. Thirty-one (28%) received a new PC consult. The mean age was 81±9.5 years, median B-type natriuretic peptide was 1202 pg/mL, and mean length of stay was 8±5 days. After our intervention, there was an upward shift in the percentage of new referrals to PC with 6 values above the baseline median, which represents a significant change.

CONCLUSIONS

Through multiple PDSA cycles, referrals to PC for patients admitted with HF increased from 6.5% to 28%. Point-of-care education was an effective tool to teach medical teams about the benefits of PC. Inpatient teams more consistently and independently considered PC for patients with HF, representing a cultural shift. This quality improvement model may serve as a paradigm to improve the care of HF patients.

Palliative Care in Heart Failure: An Integrative Review of Nurse Practice

Introduction: Because it is a chronic disease of progressive evolution, heart failure requires nursing attitudes and practices that are articulated with palliative care, implemented in an interdisciplinary team along with patients and their families. Objective: Identifying nurses' attitudes and practices in palliative care in cardiology. Method: Integrative literature review. The searches were carried out in the following bases: Google Scholar, Virtual Health Library, LILACS, SciELO, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus; through the terms Palliative Care AND Cardiology AND Nursing. Results: We identified 1298 studies published in the last five years, 14 of which have been selected for the scope of this review. Nurse attitudes and practices were characterized as: approach to symptom control; promotion of comfort and well-being; integrality of care and family orientation; effective communication among patients, family members and nursing team; timely evaluation for palliative care. Most of the studies included in this review have evidence level 2C (n = 7) and 2B (n = 4). Therefore, the results can be interpreted as reliable. Conclusions: This study makes important contributions to the practice of nurses in palliative care for heart failure. Based on the evidence collected, nurses can develop actions with the nursing team and with the interdisciplinary team related to direct patient and family care, as well as professional training. However, the field lacks studies showing the practices and actions implemented by the nursing team.

Factors associated with attitudes toward advance directives in nurses and comparisons of the levels between emergency nurses and palliative care nurses

AIM

Little is known about attitudes toward advance directives and factors associated with them among emergency and palliative care nurses who often or daily face end-of-life circumstances. Thus, we aimed to compare the levels of attitudes toward advance directives, communication skills, knowledge about end-of-life care (knowledge), and awareness of the concept of a good death (good death awareness) between emergency and palliative care nurses, and to examine factors associated with attitudes toward advance directives in the total sample.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional, correlational study, data were collected from 153 nurses (59 emergency and 94 palliative care nurses) at three tertiary hospitals using online or offline surveys and were analyzed using t-tests and multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

The levels of attitudes, communication skills, knowledge, and good death awareness were moderate in both groups. Attitudes in emergency compared to palliative care nurses were less positive (46.78 vs. 48.38; p = .044), and knowledge was significantly lower (13.64 vs. 15.00; p = .004). Communication skills and good death awareness between the two groups were similar. In the total sample, emergency practice (B = -1.59, p = .024), and lower levels of good death awareness (B = 0.30, p < .001), communication skills (B = 0.18, p = .001), and education (B = -2.84, p = .015) were associated with less positive attitudes (F = 9.52, p < .001; R²  = 0.35).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate the need for improvements in attitudes, knowledge, communication skills, and good death awareness in both groups, especially emergency nurses. Two modifiable targets of interventions to improve nurses' attitudes were also noted.

Palliative Care for Patients With Heart Failure: Results From a Heart Failure Society of America Survey

BACKGROUND

Multiple guidelines recommend specialty palliative care (PC) for patients with heart failure (HF), including patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). However, the degree of integration and clinicians' perceptions of PC in HF care remain incompletely characterized.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A 36-item survey was sent to 2109 members of the Heart Failure Society of America. Eighty respondents (53% physicians), including 51 respondents from at least 42 medical centers, completed the survey, with the majority practicing in urban (76%) academic medical centers (62%) that implanted LVADs (81%). Among the 42 unique medical centers identified, respondents reported both independent (40%) and integrated (40%) outpatient PC clinic models, whereas 12% reported not having outpatient PC at their institutions. A minority (12%) reported that their institution used triggered PC referrals based on objective clinical data. Of respondents from LVAD sites, the majority reported that a clinician from the PC team was required to see all patients prior to implantation, but there was variability in practices. Among all respondents, the most common reasons for PC referral in HF were poor prognosis, consideration of advanced cardiac therapies or other high-risk procedures and advance-care planning or goals-of-care discussions. The most frequent perceived barriers to PC consultation included lack of PC clinicians, unpredictable HF clinical trajectories and limited understanding of how PC can complement traditional HF care.

CONCLUSION

PC integration and clinician perceptions of services vary in HF care. More research and guidance regarding evidence-based models of PC delivery in HF are needed.

Specialized Palliative Care for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure at End of Life: Transfers, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospital Deaths

Objective: Specialized palliative care (SPC) may contribute to improved quality of life in patients with life-limiting chronic heart failure (CHF). This study examined SPC and possible differences in the care process regarding emergency department (ED) visits, transfers, and place of death for severely ill patients with CHF. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational registry study used the health care consumption data from the Stockholm Regional Council. Logistic regression analyses of age, sex, palliative care, comorbidities, and socioeconomic status were performed. Results: Of the 4322 individuals who died of heart failure between 2015 and 2019 and did not reside in a nursing home, 24% received SPC. Receiving SPC was associated with a lower odds ratio (OR) of ED visits (OR 0.24, p < 0.0001), unplanned transfers (OR 0.39, p < 0.0001), and emergency hospital as a place of death (OR 0.10, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, a better socioeconomic situation, younger age, and fewer comorbidities were associated with a lower OR of ED visits and transfers (p < 0.0001 to p = 0.013 in different comparisons). Multiple comorbidities (p < 0.0002) and younger age (p < 0.0001) were associated with a higher OR of emergency hospitals as a place of death. Conclusion: Approximately one-quarter of patients who died of heart failure received SPC. Receipt of SPC was associated with a significantly reduced number of ED visits, transfers between health care services, and risk of dying in emergency hospitals.

Reliability and validity of the Self-Efficacy in Palliative Care Scale among nurses

OBJECTIVES

To provide appropriate palliative care, nurses should have appropriate level of self-efficacy in palliative care, but the levels among nurses were low. To improve the levels effectively, self-efficacy in palliative care should be assessed using reliable and valid instruments. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Self-Efficacy in Palliative Care Scale in Korean nurses.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional, observational study, 272 nurses (mean age: 30 years) were enrolled from 6 university-affiliated medical centers or community hospitals in South Korea. Data on self-efficacy and demographic characteristics were collected. Validity was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (SPSS and Mplus). Reliability and homogeneity were assessed by Cronbach's alpha and item analyses (SPSS), respectively.

RESULTS

The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the 4-factor structure (communication, assessment and symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual management of patient and family, and multiprofessional teamworking) with factor loadings >.60 and with good model fit: root mean square error of approximation =.07, Tucker-Lewis index =.94, comparative fit index =.95, and standardized root mean square residual =.04. Cronbach's alphas for the total scale and each of the subscales ranged from .883 to .965. The corrected item-total correlation coefficients of all items ranged from .61 to .90.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The findings of this study supported the reliability and validity of this instrument among Korean nurses. This instrument can be used to assess nurses' self-efficacy in palliative care and to test intervention effects on it.

Factors associated with hospitalisations of patients with chronic heart failure approaching the end of life: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Heart failure has high mortality and is linked to substantial burden for patients, carers and health care systems. Patients with chronic heart failure frequently experience recurrent hospitalisations peaking at the end of life, but most prefer to avoid hospital. The drivers of hospitalisations are not well understood.

AIM

We aimed to synthesise the evidence on factors associated with all-cause and heart failure hospitalisations of patients with advanced chronic heart failure.

DESIGN

Systematic review of studies quantitatively evaluating factors associated with all-cause or heart failure hospitalisations in adult patients with advanced chronic heart failure.

DATA SOURCES

Five electronic databases were searched from inception to September 2020. Additionally, searches for grey literature, citation searching and hand-searching were performed. We assessed the quality of individual studies using the QualSyst tool. Strength of evidence was determined weighing number, quality and consistency of studies. Findings are reported narratively as pooling was not deemed feasible.

RESULTS

In 54 articles, 68 individual, illness-level, service-level and environmental factors were identified. We found high/moderate strength evidence for specialist palliative or hospice care being associated with reduced risk of all-cause and heart failure hospitalisations, respectively. Based on high strength evidence, we further identified black/non-white ethnicity as a risk factor for all-cause hospitalisations.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to integrate hospice and specialist palliative services into care may reduce avoidable hospitalisations in advanced heart failure. Inequalities in end-of-life care in terms of race/ethnicity should be addressed. Further research should investigate the causality of the relationships identified here.

Effectiveness and cost effectiveness of palliative care interventions in people with chronic heart failure and their caregivers: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Chronic heart failure is a common condition, and its prevalence is expected to rise significantly over the next two decades. Research demonstrates the increasing multidimensional needs of patients and caregivers. However, access to palliative care services for this population has remained poor. This systematic review was to provide an evidence synthesis of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of palliative care interventions for people with chronic heart failure and their caregivers.

METHODS

Relevant publications were identified via electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, PsychInfo, CINAHL, CENTRAL and HMIC from inception to June 2019. Grey literature databases, reference list, and citations of key review articles were also searched. Quality was assessed using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.

RESULTS

Of the 2083 records, 18 studies were identified including 17 having randomised controlled trial (RCT) designs and one mixed methods study with an RCT component. There was significant heterogeneity in study settings, control groups, interventions delivered, and outcome measures used. The most commonly assessed outcome measures were functional status (n = 9), psychological symptoms (n = 9), disease-specific quality of life (n = 9), and physical symptom control (n = 8). The outcome measures with the greatest evidence for benefit included general and disease-specific quality of life, psychological symptom control, satisfaction with care, physical symptom control, medical utilisation, and caregiver burden. Moreover, the methodological quality of these studies was mixed, with only four having an overall low risk of bias and the remaining studies either demonstrating high risk of bias (n = 10) or showing some concerns (n = 4) due to small sample sizes and poor retention. Only two studies reported on economic costs. Both found statistically significant results showing the intervention group to be more cost effective than the control group, but the quality of both studies was at high risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS

This review supports the role of palliative care interventions in patients with chronic heart failure and their caregivers across various outcomes, particularly quality of life and psychological wellbeing. Due to the highly heterogeneous nature of palliative care interventions, it is not possible to provide definitive recommendations as to what guise palliative care interventions should take to best support the complex care of this population. Considerable future research, particularly focusing on quality of care after death and the caregiver population, is warranted.

A training programme for medical students in providing spiritual care to people with advanced diseases and their loved ones: A case study from the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland

Purpose

This article presents the first programme on spiritual care particularly for people with advanced life-limiting illness including heart failure, lung disease or cancer for medical students in Poland implemented at the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

Methods and materials

Several steps were identified for the development of the first programme on spirituality for medical students at the Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz including preliminary work on the content of the programme, agreement on key concepts, terms, and definitions; consultations with teachers and review of the literature.

Results

The first Polish spiritual curriculum for medical students was implemented. The spirituality curriculum will potentially contribute to better care for the people with advanced illnesses such as heart failure, chronic lung disease or cancer and improve the quality of relationships between professionals and patients.

Conclusion

The article presents the content of the program, the expected learning objectives and ascribed teaching methods, along with the preliminary evaluation made by students.

Comprehensive care for people living with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—Integration of palliative care with disease-specific care: From guidelines to practice

Heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the leading global epidemiological, clinical, social, and economic burden. Due to similar risk factors and overlapping pathophysiological pathways, the coexistence of these two diseases is common. People with severe COPD and advanced chronic HF (CHF) develop similar symptoms that aggravate if evoking mechanisms overlap. The coexistence of COPD and CHF limits the quality of life (QoL) and worsens symptom burden and mortality, more than if only one of them is present. Both conditions progress despite optimal, guidelines directed treatment, frequently exacerbate, and have a similar or worse prognosis in comparison with many malignant diseases. Palliative care (PC) is effective in QoL improvement of people with CHF and COPD and may be a valuable addition to standard treatment. The current guidelines for the management of HF and COPD emphasize the importance of early integration of PC parallel to disease-modifying therapies in people with advanced forms of both conditions. The number of patients with HF and COPD requiring PC is high and will grow in future decades necessitating further attention to research and knowledge translation in this field of practice. Care pathways for people living with concomitant HF and COPD have not been published so far. It can be hypothesized that overlapping of symptoms and similarity in disease trajectories allow to draw a model of care which will address symptoms and problems caused by either condition.

Stronger association of perceived health with socio-economic inequality during COVID-19 pandemic than pre-pandemic era

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed peoples’ routine of daily living and posed major risks to global health and economy. Few studies have examined differential impacts of economic factors on health during pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. We aimed to compare the strength of associations between perceived health and socioeconomic position (household income, educational attainment, and employment) estimated before and during the pandemic.

Methods

Two waves of nationwide survey [on 2018(T1;n = 1200) and 2021(T2;n = 1000)] were done for 2200 community adults. A balanced distribution of confounders (demographics and socioeconomic position) were achieved across the T2 and T1 by use of the inverse probability of treatment weighting. Distributions of perceived health [= (excellent or very good)/(bad, fair, or good)] for physical-mental-social-spiritual subdomains were compared between T1 and T2. Odds of bad/fair/good health for demographics and socioeconomic position were obtained by univariate logistic regression. Adjusted odds (aOR) of bad/fair/good health in lower household income(< 3000 U.S. dollars/month) were retrieved using the multiple hierarchical logistic regression models of T1 and T2.

Results

Perceived health of excellent/very good at T2 was higher than T1 for physical(T1 = 36.05%, T2 = 39.13%; P = 0.04), but were lower for mental(T1 = 38.71%, T2 = 35.17%; P = 0.01) and social(T1 = 42.48%, T2 = 35.17%; P < 0.001) subdomains. Odds of bad/fair/good health were significantly increased at T2 than T1 for household income (physical-mental-social; all Ps < 0.001) and educational attainment (social; P = 0.04) but not for employment (all Ps > 0.05). AORs of bad/fair/good health in lower household income were stronger in T2 than T1, for mental [aOR (95% CI) = 2.15(1.68–2.77) in T2, 1.33(1.06–1.68) in T1; aOR difference = 0.82(P < 0.001)], physical [aOR (95% CI) = 2.64(2.05–3.41) in T2, 1.50(1.18–1.90) in T1; aOR difference = 1.14(P < 0.001)] and social [aOR (95% CI) = 2.15(1.68–2.77) in T2, 1.33(1.06–1.68) in T1; aOR difference = 0.35(P = 0.049)] subdomains.

Conclusions

Risks of perceived health worsening for mental and social subdomains in people with lower monthly household income or lower educational attainment became stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic era. In consideration of the prolonged pandemic as of mid-2022, policies aiming not only to sustain the monthly household income and compulsory education but also to actively enhance the perceived mental-social health status have to be executed and maintained.

Bereaved Caregivers' Experiences of End of Life Care For People With Advanced Heart Failure: A Narrative Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Heart Failure is a life-limiting condition with a poor and uniquely unpredictable prognosis. The aim of this review is to present and synthesise the current evidence around bereaved caregivers' experiences of end of life care for people with Heart Failure.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted using four electronic databases (CINHAL, Medline, BND, PsycINFO). Data was analysed and presented using a narrative synthesis approach.

RESULTS

Eight articles were included within this review. Themes included: Limited and inadequate communication around the condition (including prognosis, preparations for death and the aim of palliative care), the burden of caregiving, and the limited provision of services and formal support.

CONCLUSION

Bereaved caregivers experience unique and significant challenges when caring for someone dying from Heart Failure. However, further research is required to greater understand the experiences of bereaved caregivers of people with Heart Failure.

Palliative care provision for people living with heart failure: The Geneva model

As life expectancy rises and the survival rate after acute cardiovascular events improves, the number of people living and dying with chronic heart failure is increasing. People suffering from chronic ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease may experience a significant limitation of their quality of life which can be addressed by palliative care. Although international guidelines recommend the implementation of integrated palliative care for patients with heart failure, models of care are scarce and are often limited to patients at the end of life. In this paper, we describe the implementation of a model designed to improve the early integration of palliative care for patients with heart failure. This model has enabled patients to access palliative care when they normally would not have and given them the opportunity to plan their care in line with their values and preferences. However, the effectiveness of this interdisciplinary model of care on patients' quality of life and symptom burden still requires evaluation.

Palliative Care Needs and Clinical Features Related to Short-Term Mortality in Patients Enrolled in a Heart Failure Unit

(1) Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic and complex pathology requiring continuous patient management due to clinical instability, associated comorbidity, and extensive pharmacological treatment. Its unpredictable course makes the advanced stages challenging to recognize and raises the need for palliative care. This study aims to identify palliative care needs in HF patients and describe clinical features related to short-term mortality. (2) Methods: A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective study was carried out in an HF unit of a Spanish tertiary hospital. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from clinical records, and different instruments were used to establish mortality risks and patients’ needs for palliative care. Subsequently, univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses were performed. A binary logistic regression model helped to determine variables that could influence mortality 12 months after admission to the Unit. (3) Results: The studied population, sixty-five percent women, had an average age of 83.27 years. Among other clinical characteristics predominated preserved ejection fraction (pEF) and dyspnea NYHA (New York Heart Association) class II. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension and coronary heart disease. Forty-nine percent had a low–intermediate mortality risk in the following year, according to the PROFUND index. The NECPAL CCOMS-ICO© instrument identified subjects who meet the criteria for palliative care. This predictive model identified NECPAL CCOMS-ICO© results, using beta-blockers (BB) or AIIRA (Angiotensin II receptor antagonists) and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as explanatory variables of patients’ mortality in the following year. (4) Conclusions: The analysis of the characteristics of the population with HF allows us to identify patients in need of palliative care. The NECPAL CCOMS-ICO© instrument and the PROFUND have helped identify the characteristics of people with HF who would benefit from palliative management.

Inpatient Specialist Palliative Care in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD): A Retrospective Case Series

Background

Repeat hospitalizations, complications, and psychosocial burdens are common in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Specialist palliative care (sPC) involvement supports patients during decision-making until end-of-life. In the United States, guidelines recommend early specialist palliative care (esPC) involvement prior to implantation. Yet, data about sPC and esPC involvement in Europe are scarce.

Materials and Methods

This is a retrospective descriptive study of deceased LVAD patients who had received sPC during their LVAD-related admissions to two university hospitals in Duesseldorf, Germany and Basel, Switzerland from 2010 to 2021. The main objectives were to assess: To which extent have LVAD patients received sPC, how early is sPC involved? What are the characteristics of those, how did sPC take place and what are key challenges in end-of-life care?

Results

In total, 288 patients were implanted with a LVAD, including 31 who received sPC (11%). Twenty-two deceased LVAD patients (19 male) with sPC were included. Mean patient age at the time of implantation was 67 (range 49–79) years. Thirteen patients (59%) received LVAD as destination therapy, eight patients (36%) were implanted as bridge to transplantation (BTT), and one as an emergency LVAD after cardiogenic shock (5%). None of the eight BTT patients received a heart transplantation before dying. Most (n = 13) patients lived with their family and mean Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status was three. Mean time between LVAD implantation and first sPC contact was 1.71 years, with a range of first sPC contact from 49 days prior to implantation to more than 6 years after. Two patients received esPC before implantation. In Duesseldorf, mean time between first sPC contact and in-hospital death was 10.2 (1–42) days. In Basel, patients died 16 (0.7–44) months after first sPC contact, only one died on the external sPC unit. Based on thorough examination of two case reports, we describe key challenges of sPC in LVAD patients including the necessity for sPC expertise, ethical and communicative issues as well as the available resources in this setting.

Conclusion

Despite unequivocal recommendations for sPC in LVAD patients, the integration of sPC for these patients is yet not well established.

Unmet Needs in Patients With Heart Failure: The Importance of Palliative Care in a Heart Failure Clinic

Background

There are increasing calls to establish heart failure (HF) clinics due to their effectiveness in the interdisciplinary management of people living with HF. However, although a recommendation exists for palliative care (PC) providers to be part of the interdisciplinary team, few of the established HF clinics include them in their teams. Therefore, in this qualitative study, we aimed to understand the unmet PC needs of patients with HF attending an already established HF clinic.

Methods

Secondary qualitative analysis of structured interviews undertaken within a larger study to validate the German version of the Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease—Heart Failure (NAT: PD-HF). The NAT: PD-HF is a tool that aims to assess unmet needs in patients with HF. The interviews took place between January and March 2020 with patients from the ambulatory HF Clinic of a University Hospital in Switzerland. For this analysis, we transcribed and thematically analyzed the longest and most content-rich interviews until we reached data saturation at 31 participants. The interviews lasted 31 min on average (24–48 min).

Results

Participants (n = 31) had a median age of 64 years (IQR 56–77), the majority had reduced ejection fraction, were men, and were classified as having a New York Heart Association functional class II. Participants were in general satisfied with the treatment and information received at the HF clinic. However, they reported several unmet needs. We therefore identified three ambivalences as main themes: (I) “feeling well-informed but missing essential discussions”, (II) “although feeling mostly satisfied with the care, remaining with unmet care needs”, and (III) “fearing a referral to palliative care but acknowledging its importance”.

Conclusion

Although patients who are receiving multidisciplinary management in ambulatory HF clinics are generally satisfied with the care received, they remain with unmet needs. These unmet needs, such as the need for advance care planning or the need for timely and tactful end-of-life discussions, can be fulfilled by PC providers. Including personnel trained in PC as part of the multidisciplinary team could help to address patients' needs, thus improving the quality of care and the quality of life of people living with HF.