Engaging heart failure clinicians to increase palliative care referrals: overcoming barriers, improving techniques.

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) is the most common cause of hospitalization among adults over the age of 65. Hospital readmission rates, mortality rates, and Medicare costs for patients with this disease are high. Furthermore, patients with HF experience a number of symptoms that worsen as the disease progresses. However, a small minority of patients with HF receives hospice or palliative care. One possible reason for this may be that the HF and palliative care clinicians have differing perspectives on the role of palliative care for these patients.

AIM

The goal of the article is to offer palliative care clinicians a roadmap for collaborating with HF clinicians by reviewing the needs of patients with HF.

CONCLUSIONS

This article reviews the needs of patients with HF and their families, the barriers to referral to palliative care for patients with HF, and provides suggestions for improving collaboration between palliative care and HF clinicians.