A telehealth intervention did not improve outcomes measured at 4 months, but palliative care might still be helpful for patients and caregivers.
Palliative care, which addresses symptom control, psychosocial distress, quality of life, caregiver support, and end-of-life preferences, is recommended in practice guidelines for patients with symptomatic advanced heart failure. This recommendation is based in part on the known benefits of palliative care in individuals with cancer, another chronic progressive disease. To assess the impact of early palliative care among individuals with symptomatic heart failure, researchers randomized 415 patients from two sites in Alabama (mean age, 64; 53% men; 54% Black; rural residence, 26%) to receive either a culturally based early palliative care telehealth intervention plus usual care or usual care alone (NCT02505425).
Almost all patients (97%) had…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research
Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research
Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)