Photo Credit: Pornpak Khunatorn

The following is a summary of “Building a Cardiac Palliative Care Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Ten Program Leaders From Across the United States,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Pain and Symptom Management by Blum et al.

Palliative care is a medically recommended approach for patients diagnosed with advanced heart failure (HF). However, there needs to be more research on providing cardiac palliative care in the United States. To investigate the provision of services by cardiac palliative care programs and to identify the challenges and facilitators encountered during program development. In this qualitative descriptive study, purposive and snowball sampling approaches were utilized to identify leaders of cardiac palliative care programs throughout the United States. A survey was administered, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. 

The interview transcripts underwent coding and evaluation utilizing thematic analysis, a method commonly employed in medical research. Although the organizational structure of cardiac palliative care programs may differ, they uniformly offer comprehensive interdisciplinary palliative care services, ideally spanning the entire continuum of care. They primarily cater to patients with heart failure who are assessed for advanced medical interventions or have intricate medical requirements. Cardiac palliative care programs need help identifying and engaging the cardiac patients most in need of palliative care and establishing effective collaboration with cardiologists who may not perceive the benefits of integrating palliative care into their patients’ treatment plans.

The facilitators of cardiac palliative care program development encompass establishing interpersonal connections with cardiology providers, actively evaluating the requirements of the local institution, and customizing palliative care services to align with the needs of patients and providers. Palliative care programs focused on cardiac conditions exhibit variability in their organizational structure yet offer comparable services and encounter analogous obstacles. The challenges and facilitators we have identified can provide valuable insights for advancing future cardiac palliative care programs.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885392423004414