scholarly journals Barriers to Early Utilization of Palliative Care in Heart Failure: A Narrative Review

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Massimo Romanò

Palliative care is indicated in patients with heart failure since the early phases of the disease, as suggested by international guidelines. However, patients are referred to palliative care very late. Many barriers could explain the gap between the guidelines’ indications and clinical practice. The term palliative is perceived as a stigma by doctors, patients, and family members because it is charged with negative meanings, a poor prognosis, and no hope for improvement. Many authors prefer the term supportive care, which could facilitate a discussion between doctors, patients, and caregivers. There is substantial variation and overlap in the meanings assigned to these two terms in the literature. Prognosis, as the main indication to palliative care, delays its implementation. It is necessary to modify this paradigm, moving from prognosis to patients’ needs. The lack of access to palliative care programs is often due to a lack of palliative care specialists and this shortage will be greater in the near future. In this study, a new model is proposed to integrate early over the course of the disease the palliative care (PC) specialist in the heart failure team, allowing to overcome the barriers and to achieve truly simultaneous care in the treatment of heart failure (HF) patients.

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
Kyle D. Hope ◽  
Priya N. Bhat ◽  
William J. Dreyer ◽  
Barbara A. Elias ◽  
Jaime L. Jump ◽  
...  

Heart failure is a life-changing diagnosis for a child and their family. Pediatric patients with heart failure experience significant morbidity and frequent hospitalizations, and many require advanced therapies such as mechanical circulatory support and/or heart transplantation. Pediatric palliative care is an integral resource for the care of patients with heart failure along its continuum. This includes support during the grief of a new diagnosis in a child critically ill with decompensated heart failure, discussion of goals of care and the complexities of mechanical circulatory support, the pensive wait for heart transplantation, and symptom management and psychosocial support throughout the journey. In this article, we discuss the scope of pediatric palliative care in the realm of pediatric heart failure, ventricular assist device (VAD) support, and heart transplantation. We review the limited, albeit growing, literature in this field, with an added focus on difficult conversation and decision support surrounding re-transplantation, HF in young adults with congenital heart disease, the possibility of destination therapy VAD, and the grimmest decision of VAD de-activation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 674-675
Author(s):  
Rachel Wells ◽  
James N. Dionne-Odom ◽  
Harleah Buck ◽  
Andres Azuero ◽  
Sally Engler ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-64
Author(s):  
Sarah Young ◽  
Jan McFadyen ◽  
Ann Gibbins ◽  
Carolyn Kenny ◽  
Sheila Boyer ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e043955
Author(s):  
Stine Gundtoft Roikjær ◽  
Charlotte Paaske Simonÿ ◽  
Helle Ussing Timm

ObjectiveIn the field of palliative care (PC) as it is integrated into heart failure (HF) treatment, it is essential to explore the patient experience and build on this knowledge for the further development of PC practice and policy. Based on an intervention study, this paper explores what patients with HF find significant in integrated sessions using a narrative S’ approach.DesignWe conducted a semistructured interview study with a qualitative analysis focused on meaning making. The study follows the guidelines of Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.Participants and settingThe inclusion criteria for the PC intervention were (1) a new diagnosis of HF, (2) follow-up treatment at this local Danish HF clinic and (3) informed consent to participate in the integrated PC intervention. The only exclusion criterion was if the patient was already engaged in a PC programme. 20 patients agreed to participate in the intervention, and 12 of these completed the S’ approach sessions and participated in this interview study.ResultsOverall, the analysis showed that the integrated S’ approach sessions were successful in joining an embodied patient perspective with a medical perspective. The thematic analysis resulted in three themes supporting the overall findings: sessions bring comfort, telling your story provides a sense of meaningfulness, and integrating perspectives of HF into everyday life.ConclusionThe method using the S’ approach in integrated PC and HF sessions was significant in various ways. First, patients experienced a calm and safe atmosphere and perceived that the nurse was truly interested in them. Second, the integrated sessions based on the S’ approach were able to bring comfort to lived physical, psychosocial and existential issues. Last, it allowed patients to combine their embodied understanding of HF with a medical perspective, thereby finding meaning in the sense of how everything is connected.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad J Dias ◽  
Michael J Shoemaker ◽  
Kristin M Lefebvre ◽  
John D Heick

Abstract The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has supported the development of clinical practice guidelines to promote and support evidence-based practice and reduce unwarranted practice variation. Essential to the success of this effort is the generation of knowledge translation—a concept that emphasizes the translation of global knowledge to an application that can be effectively integrated into clinical practice. The Physical Therapy Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Individuals with Heart Failure published in the Physical Therapy Journal in January 2020 provides a broad base of knowledge related to evidence-based treatment interventions for patients with heart failure. However, the application and integration of this knowledge in clinical practice need further elucidation. Therefore, this perspective paper aims to serve as a complementary knowledge translation resource to the recently published practice guideline to maximize the utilization of contemporary evidence in clinical practice. This resource provides the physical therapist with practical guidance in the management of patients with heart failure by placing research findings in the context of other knowledge and practice norms that can be applied at the point of care and across the continuum of care. We propose a novel ABCDE (Assessment, Behavior, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Dosage, and Education) practical framework. This clinical paradigm is grounded in ongoing physical therapist assessment throughout the episode of care, along with behavior modification, assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness, appropriate selection and dosing of interventions and patient education. Examples highlighting the use of this model in patients with heart failure across the continuum of care are provided for application in clinical care.


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